Homeland Security


Abdul Aziz al Omari

9-11 Suicide Hijacker

Dead

Abdul Aziz al OmariAbdul Aziz al Omari

Details
ImportanceLow
Means of DeathSuicide hijacker
Date of DeathSept. 11, 2001
Location of DeathNew York, New York, United States
Affiliation9-11 plotters
RoleMember
SupervisorMohamed Atta
AffiliationAmerican Airlines Flight 11 Hijackers
AffiliationAl-Qaeda
Full Given NameAbdul Aziz Abdel Rahman Muhammad al Omari
NationalitySaudi
Alias(es)Abu al-Abbas al-Janoobi
Alternate Spelling(s)Abdulaziz al-Omari, Abdul Aziz Alomari, Abdulaziz Alomari, Abd al-Aziz al-Umari, Abd al-Aziz al Omari
Age at Death22
Date of BirthMay 28, 1979
Place of BirthAsir, Saudi Arabia1
GenderMale
 
 
Narrative and Notes
 
Reliable
  • One of the "muscle" hijackers on American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
  • For an unknown reason, he and Mohamed Atta traveled to Portland, Maine the night of Sept. 10, and they boarded a flight to Boston at 6 a.m. on Sept. 11, connecting to the plane they would ultimately hijack.
  • Omari had graduated with honors from high school, obtained a degree from the Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, was married, and had a daughter. He often served as an imam at his Saudi mosque.
  • He is believed to have been a student of radical cleric Sulayman al Alwan in Saudi Arabia's ultraconservative Qassim province.1,2
    •  
    Possible
  • It has been speculated that al-Omari may have gotten cold feet before the attack, but Atta had somehow persuaded him to stay with it by going with him to Maine. Alternatively, Atta may have wanted he and al-Omari to start separately from the other AA11 hijackers in case one group was detained; the Portland airport was the closest to Boston that would have a flight that connected to AA11. However, this would have presented a significant risk, given the possibility that the Portland-Boston flight could have been delayed.3
    •  
     
    Sources
    1 The 9-11 Commission Final Report, July 22, 2004, Chapter 7.3.
    2 The 9-11 Commission Final Report, July 22, 2004, Chapter 7.4.
    3 The 9-11 Commission Final Report, July 22, 2004, Footnotes.
    Photos (left to right): FBI; U.S. government exhibit, United States v. Moussaoui
     
     
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