Final Preparations in the United States
During the early
summer of 2001, Atta, assisted by Shehhi, was busy coordinating the arrival of
most of the muscle hijackers in southern Florida-picking them up at the airport,
finding them places to stay, and helping them settle in the United
States.129
The majority settled in Florida. Some opened bank accounts, acquired
mailboxes, and rented cars. Several also joined local gyms, presumably to stay
fit for the operation. Upon first arriving, most stayed in hotels and motels;
but by mid-June, they settled in shared apartments relatively close to one
another and Atta.130 Though these muscle hijackers did not travel
much after arriving in the United States, two of them, Waleed al Shehri and
Satam al Suqami, took unusual trips.
On May 19, Shehri and Suqami flew from Fort Lauderdale to Freeport, the
Bahamas, where they had reservations at the Bahamas Princess Resort. The two
were turned away by Bahamian officials on arrival, however, because they lacked
visas; they returned to Florida that same day. They likely took this trip to
renew Suqami's immigration status, as Suqami's legal stay in the United States
ended May 21.131
On July 30, Shehri traveled alone from Fort Lauderdale to Boston. He flew to
San Francisco the next day, where he stayed one night before returning via Las
Vegas. While this travel may have been a casing flight-Shehri traveled in first
class on the same type of aircraft he would help hijack on September 11 (a
Boeing 767) and the trip included a layover in Las Vegas-Shehri was neither a
pilot nor a plot leader, as were the other hijackers who took surveillance
flights.132
The three Hamburg pilots-Atta, Shehhi, and Jarrah-took the first of their
cross-country surveillance flights early in the summer. Shehhi flew from New
York to Las Vegas via San Francisco in late May. Jarrah flew from Baltimore to
Las Vegas via Los Angeles in early June. Atta flew from Boston to Las Vegas via
San Francisco at the end of June. Each traveled in first class, on United
Airlines. For the east-west transcontinental leg, each operative flew on the
same type of aircraft he would pilot on September 11 (Atta and Shehhi, a Boeing
767; Jarrah, a Boeing 757).133 Hanjour and Hazmi, as noted below,
took similar cross-country surveillance flights in August.
Jarrah and Hanjour also received additional training and practice flights in
the early summer. A few days before departing on his cross-country test flight,
Jarrah flew from Fort Lauderdale to Philadelphia, where he trained at Hortman
Aviation and asked to fly the Hudson Corridor, a low-altitude "hallway" along
the Hudson River that passes New York landmarks like the World Trade Center.
Heavy traffic in the area can make the corridor a dangerous route for an
inexperienced pilot. Because Hortman deemed Jarrah unfit to fly solo, he could
fly this route only with an instructor.134
Hanjour, too, requested to fly the Hudson Corridor about this same time, at
Air Fleet Training Systems in Teterboro, New Jersey, where he started receiving
ground instruction soon after settling in the area with Hazmi. Hanjour flew the
Hudson Corridor, but his instructor declined a second request because of what he
considered Hanjour's poor piloting skills. Shortly thereafter, Hanjour switched
to Caldwell Flight Academy in Fairfield, New Jersey, where he rented small
aircraft on several occasions during June and July. In one such instance on July
20, Hanjour-likely accompanied by Hazmi-rented a plane from Caldwell and took a
practice flight from Fairfield to Gaithersburg, Maryland, a route that would
have allowed them to fly near Washington, D.C. Other evidence suggests that
Hanjour may even have returned to Arizona for flight simulator training earlier
in June.135
There is no indication that Atta or Shehhi received any additional flight
training in June. Both were likely too busy organizing the newly arrived muscle
hijackers and taking their cross-country surveillance flights. Atta, moreover,
needed to coordinate with his second-in-command, Nawaf al Hazmi.136
Although Atta and Hazmi appear to have been in Virginia at about the same
time in early April, they probably did not meet then. Analysis of late April
communications associated with KSM indicates that they had wanted to get
together in April but could not coordinate the meeting.137 Atta and
Hazmi probably first met in the United States only when Hazmi traveled
round-trip from Newark to Miami between June 19 and June 25.
After he returned to New Jersey, Hazmi's behavior began to closely parallel
that of the other hijackers. He and Hanjour, for instance, soon established new
bank accounts, acquired a mailbox, rented cars, and started visiting a gym. So
did the four other hijackers who evidently were staying with them in New Jersey.
Several also obtained new photo identification, first in New Jersey and then at
the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, where Hazmi and Hanjour had obtained
such documents months earlier, likely with help from their Jordanian friend,
Rababah.138
Atta probably met again with Hazmi in early July. Returning from his initial
cross-country surveillance flight, Atta flew into New York. Rather than return
immediately to Florida, he checked into a New Jersey hotel. He picked up tickets
to travel to Spain at a travel agency in Paterson on July 4 before departing for
Fort Lauderdale. Now that the muscle hijackers had arrived, he was ready to meet
with Ramzi Binalshibh for the last time.139
