In this series, Newsweek recounts the events that led to the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001. The focus on August 25 offers insight into the terrorists’ preparations.
Preparations for September 11
On August 25, 2001, Mohammed Atta booked flights that would play a critical role in the 9/11 attacks. Using a Travelocity account, he searched for flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles and from Boston to Los Angeles, with departures around 8:00 a.m. on September 11.
Atta’s choice of date aimed to maximize the impact by targeting a time after Labor Day when the majority of Americans and the government, including the George W. Bush administration, would be at work. He also selected a Tuesday for easier air travel and less crowded flights, reducing the risk of facing hostile passengers.
At 2:43 p.m., Atta created an American Airlines “AAdvantage” profile #6H26L04 and reserved a business class seat on American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston, scheduled to depart at 7:45 a.m. He meticulously studied flight details over months, including the Boeing 767-223ER plane, by taking test flights and examining boarding and security procedures.
Coordination Among Hijackers
Following consultations with other hijacker pilots regarding their September 11 flight bookings, Atta revisited aa.com three days later to confirm and pay for his and A. al-Omari’s flights using his VISA card.
On August 26, Saudi brothers Waleed and Wail al-Shehri purchased tickets for the same flight. Wail’s ticket was bought over the phone with a debit card, while Waleed used an online payment method with his debit card. Arriving in the U.S. in April 2001, the brothers became part of Atta’s team. The other “muscle men” intended to seize control of the plane were Saudi citizens Abdulaziz al-Omari and Satam al-Suqami.
The seating arrangements included:
- Waleed and Wail al-Shehri: Seats 2A and 2B in first class.
- Abdulaziz al-Omari: Seat 8G in Business Class.
- Satam al-Suqami: Seat 10B in Business Class.
- Mohammed Atta: Seat 8D in Business Class.
Security Challenges
During this period, there was no effective mechanism for intelligence agencies to be alerted to domestic flight reservations. Had any of the hijackers been on international watchlists, their reservations would have raised alerts. However, their domestic bookings lacked identification checks against such lists. Security was primarily handled by airport check-in personnel, screeners, and gate attendants.
The planning and coordination among the 9/11 hijackers continued to evolve during these final days leading up to the attacks, as evidenced by Atta’s activities discussed above.