View source for Wail al-Shehri

{{short description|Saudi terrorist and 9/11 hijacker (1973–2001)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Wail al-Shehri
| image              = Wailalshehri.jpg
| caption            = Al-Shehri in May 2001
| native_name        = {{Lang|ar|وائل الشهري}}
| native_name_lang   = ar
| birth_name         = Wail Mohammed al-Shehri
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1973|7|31}}
| birth_place        = [[ʽAsir Province|Aseer]], Saudi Arabia
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2001|9|11|1973|7|31}}
| death_place        = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_cause        = [[Suicide attack|Suicide]] by [[American Airlines Flight 11|plane crash]] ([[September 11 attacks]])
| relatives          = [[Waleed al-Shehri]] (brother)
}}

'''Wail Mohammed al-Shehri''' ({{langx|ar|وائل الشهري|Wāīl ash-Shehrī}}; or '''Alshehri'''; July 31,  1973{{snd}}September 11, 2001) was a Saudi school teacher and terrorist hijacker. He was one of five [[Hijackers in the September 11 attacks#Hijackers|hijackers]] of [[American Airlines Flight 11]], which was flown into the North Tower of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] as part of the [[September 11 attacks]].

Wail al-Shehri was an elementary school teacher from [[Khamis Mushait]] in the [['Asir|Asir]] region of [[Saudi Arabia]]. In early 2000, he traveled to [[Medina]] to seek treatment for mental problems. He and his younger brother [[Waleed al-Shehri|Waleed]] traveled to [[Afghanistan]] in March 2000 and joined an [[Afghan training camp|Al-Qaeda training camp]]. The brothers were chosen, along with others from the same region of Saudi Arabia, to participate in the September 11 attacks. Once selected, al-Shehri returned to Saudi Arabia in October 2000 to obtain a clean passport, then returned to Afghanistan. In March 2001, he recorded his [[Will and testament|last will and testament]] on video.

Al-Shehri arrived in the United States in early June 2001, staying in [[budget motel]]s in the [[Boynton Beach, Florida|Boynton Beach]] area of south [[Florida]]. On September 5, 2001, al-Shehri traveled to [[Boston]] and checked into a motel with his brother. Six days later, al-Shehri arrived early in the morning at Boston's [[Logan International Airport]] and boarded American Airlines Flight 11. Fifteen minutes after takeoff, al-Shehri, along with his brother and three others, hijacked the airliner.  They deliberately crashed it into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46&nbsp;a.m.

In the aftermath of the attacks, some news reports mistakenly reported that al-Shehri was the son of a Saudi diplomat and was still alive and well. The al-Shehri family in Khamis Mushait spoke to the media, denying those early reports, saying that the al-Shehri brothers had disappeared and have not been heard from since.

== Background ==
[[Image:Abha, Saudi Arabia locator map.png|thumb|right|[[Abha]] is the capital of [[Saudi Arabia]]'s [['Asir|Asir]] province, where Wail al-Shehri was from, and Wail graduated from Abha's teacher college.]]
Wail al-Shehri and his younger brother Waleed were from [[Khamis Mushait]] in the [['Asir|Asir]] province, which is an impoverished area in southwestern [[Saudi Arabia]], along the [[Yemen]]i border.<ref name="911-ch7-3">{{cite book |title=9/11 Commission Report |chapter-url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch7.htm |chapter=Chapter 7.3–The Attack Looms, Assembling the Teams |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |pages=231–240 |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023214223/http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch7.htm |archive-date=2013-10-23 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Federal Bureau of Investigation |date=2008-02-04 |title=Hijackers' Timeline |url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012013300/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-12 |access-date=2008-10-06 |publisher=NEFA ([[Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation]]) |pages=1}}</ref> Al-Shehri was born in Annams, and grew up in the Um Saraar neighborhood in Khamis Mushait. He had ten brothers and one sister.<ref name="murphy">{{cite news |title=Some Light Shed On Saudi Suspects Many Raised in Area of Religious Dissent |newspaper=The Washington Post |author1=Murphy, Caryle  |author2=David B. Ottaway  |name-list-style=amp |date=2001-09-25}}</ref> Several of al-Shehri's brothers joined the Saudi military, while his uncle may have been a major in the army and director of logistics. Al-Shehri's father, Mohammed Ali Asgley Al Shehri, worked as a car dealer. On weekends, the family often spent time together at the [[Red Sea]]. The family strictly adhered to the [[Wahhabism|Wahabi]] school of [[Islam]], which forbids many elements of modernity. As such, the al-Shehri family did not have satellite television or Internet, nor did his parents permit music or contact with girls.<ref name="sennott">{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830042824/http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/driving_a_wedge/part1_side.shtml |archive-date=2008-08-30 |url=http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/driving_a_wedge/part1_side.shtml |title=Before oath to jihad, drifting and boredom |author=Sennott, Charles M. |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=2002-03-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some of Wail al-Shehri's elder brothers had visited the [[United States]] and could speak English, but Wail himself knew little English.<ref name="highway">{{cite news |title=The Highway of Death |newspaper=Sunday Times |date=2002-01-27}}</ref>

During high school and college, al-Shehri was deeply religious and attended Al-Seqley Mosque, which his family had built as the local mosque. Al-Shehri also frequented government-supported religious camps in Saudi Arabia. At this time, there were strong religious feelings in Saudi Arabia, especially in the Asir region. Many young people in the region idolized [[Osama bin Laden]], who had family ties to the area. Al-Shehri's father was a friend of Bin Laden's father, [[Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden]].<ref name="sia">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107064223/http://www.arabiaradio.org/english/article.cfm?qid=12&sid=6 |archive-date=2007-11-07 |url=http://arabiaradio.org/english/article.cfm?qid=12&sid=6 |title=Profiles of 9/11 Saudi Hijackers Revealed |publisher=Saudi Information Agency |date=2002-09-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Ahmed al-Nami]] and [[Saeed al-Ghamdi]], who were both hijackers on [[United Airlines Flight 93]], came from the same area in Saudi Arabia as the Shehri family.<ref name="sennott"/>

After graduating from [[Abha]] teachers college in 1999, Wail al-Shehri took a job as an elementary school physical education teacher at the Khamis Mushait airbase. Five months into the job, al-Shehri took leave due to mental illness and [[Depression (mood)|depression]]. Rather than conventional therapy, al-Shehri sought consultation with Muslim clerics, and hoped that a visit to [[Medina]] would help. His treatment involved verses from the [[Qur'an]] read to him by a sheikh. He traveled to Medina together with Waleed. After the September 11 attacks, others recalled seeing the al-Shehri brothers in Medina.<ref name="highway"/><ref name="buqami">{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321171050/http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=9424&d=17&m=9&y=2001 |archive-date=2009-03-21 |author=al-Buqami, Mutlaq |url=http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=9424&d=17&m=9&y=2001 |date=2001-09-17 |newspaper=Arab News |title=Al-Shihri says sons missing for 10 months |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Afghanistan ==
Wail and Waleed al-Shehri disappeared after going to Medina, calling their father just once; in the conversation, the brothers were vague about when they would return.<ref name="burke">{{cite book |title=Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam |author=Burke, Jason |year=2004 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |pages=247–248}}</ref> Both had expressed interest in joining the [[jihad]] in [[Chechnya]],<ref name="highway"/> though may have been diverted to [[Afghanistan]].<ref name="911-ch7-3"/><ref name="murphy"/> Before disappearing, the al-Shehri brothers went to Al-Seqley Mosque to swear an oath and commitment to jihad, as did Ahmed al-Nami and Saeed al-Ghamdi. Wail al-Shehri presided over the ceremony, dubbing himself ''Abu Mossaeb al-Janubi'' after one of [[Muhammad]]'s companions.<ref name="sennott"/>

In March 2000, he left for [[Pakistan]] with Waleed and [[Ahmed al-Nami]]; later, they went on to Afghanistan. Wail al-Shehri followed the standard path for new al-Qaeda recruits in Afghanistan, spending time in the Khalden training camp and then Al Farouq training camp near [[Kandahar]]. Details on how the non-pilot ("[[Hijackers in the September 11 attacks#Muscle hijackers|muscle]]") hijackers were chosen for the 9/11 attacks are vague, though the hijackers appear to have been selected by senior al-Qaeda leaders in 2000 from the thousands of recruits at training camps in Afghanistan. The most capable and motivated volunteers were at al-Farouq, and Saudi citizens were good candidates, since it would be easy for them to obtain visas to travel to the [[United States]].<ref name="burke"/> [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) director [[George Tenet]] later said that the muscle hijackers were probably told little about their mission in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927002200/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/09/eveningnews/main525012.shtml |archive-date=2008-09-27 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sept-11-hijacker-made-test-flights/ |publisher=CBS News |title=Sept. 11 Hijacker Made Test Flights |date=2002-10-09 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Once al-Shehri and the other muscle hijackers completed their training in Afghanistan, they received $2,000 so they could return to Saudi Arabia to obtain new passports and visas.<ref name="911-ch7-3"/> The al-Shehri brothers may have been assisted by a relative who worked in the Saudi passport office.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrTrav_Monograph.pdf |title=9/11 and Terrorist Travel |work=Staff Report |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |year=2004 |pages=33 |access-date=2008-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916110951/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrTrav_Monograph.pdf |archive-date=2012-09-16 |url-status=live }}</ref> Wail and Waleed al-Shehri received passports on 3 October 2000, and then obtained [[United States visas]] on 24 October.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |title=Hijackers' Timeline |author=Federal Bureau of Investigation |publisher=NEFA Foundation |date=2008-02-04 |access-date=2008-10-06 |pages=93; 93 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012013300/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-12 }}</ref> On his visa application, Wail al-Shehri provided vague information, stating his employer/school as "South City", and his destination as "Wasantwn". Al-Shehri indicated his occupation as "teacher", and that he would be traveling with his brother on a four-to-six month vacation, which would be paid for with al-Shehri's teacher salary. Although he would not be working while on vacation, consular officials nonetheless did not question if the al-Shehri brothers had the financial means to support themselves while in the United States.<ref>{{cite magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022045541/http://www.nationalreview.com/mowbray/mowbray100902.asp |archive-date=2008-10-22 |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/mowbray/mowbray100902.asp |title=Visas that Should Have Been Denied |author=Mowbray, Joel |date=2002-10-09 |magazine=National Review |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In late 2000, al-Shehri traveled to the [[United Arab Emirates]], where he purchased traveler's checks, presumed to have been paid for by [[Mustafa al-Hawsawi|Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi]]. Five other hijackers passed through the United Arab Emirates and purchased traveler's checks, including [[Majed Moqed]], [[Saeed al-Ghamdi]], [[Hamza al-Ghamdi]], [[Ahmed al-Haznawi]], and [[Ahmed al-Nami]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrFin_App.pdf |title=The Financing of the 9/11 Plot – Terrorist Financing Staff Monograph |publisher=9/11 Commission |pages=136 |year=2004 |access-date=2008-07-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509121909/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrFin_App.pdf |archive-date=2008-05-09 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[9/11 Commission]] believes that in mid-November 2000, three of the future muscle hijackers, including the al-Shehri brothers, traveled in a group from Saudi Arabia to [[Beirut]] and then onward to [[Iran]] where they could travel through to Afghanistan without getting their passports stamped. An associate of a senior [[Hezbollah]] operative is thought to have been on the same flight, although this may have been a coincidence.<ref name="911-ch7-3"/>

Wail al-Shehri appeared together with hijackers Ahmed al-Nami, Hamza al-Ghamdi, and [[Ahmed al-Ghamdi]] on a video recorded in March 2001, and aired on [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] in September 2002. Al-Shehri was seen studying maps and flight manuals, but he did not speak in the video; it also included a segment of [[Abdulaziz al-Omari]] reading his last will and testament.<ref>{{cite news |title=Al Qaeda Tape Hints at Targets; Terrorism |author=Meyer, Josh |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=2002-09-10}}</ref> While in Afghanistan, another video was recorded that showed al-Shehri reading his last will and testament. This video was released on September 7, 2006.<ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014222821/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-09-07-qaeda-tape_x.htm |archive-date=2008-10-14 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-09-07-qaeda-tape_x.htm |title=Video shows bin Laden meeting with 9/11 plotters |publisher=USA Today / AP |date=2006-09-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912140708/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/07/alqaeda.911/index.html |archive-date=2008-09-12 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/07/alqaeda.911/index.html |title=Video is said to show bin Laden prepping for 9/11 attacks |date=2006-09-07 |publisher=CNN |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== United States ==
On June 5, 2001, Wail al-Shehri obtained an International Driving Permit, which was issued in [[Sharjah (city)|Sharjah]] in the United Arab Emirates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |title=Hijackers' Timeline |author=Federal Bureau of Investigation |publisher=NEFA Foundation |date=2008-02-04 |access-date=2008-10-06 |pages=153 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012013300/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-12 }}</ref> Al-Shehri arrived together with fellow [[al-Qaeda]] member [[Ahmed al-Haznawi]] at [[Miami International Airport]], via [[London]], from [[Dubai]] on June 8. Both were admitted as tourists for six months.<ref name="travel">{{cite web |url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrTrav_Monograph.pdf |title=9/11 and Terrorist Travel |work=Staff Report |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |year=2004 |pages=24 |access-date=2008-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916110951/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrTrav_Monograph.pdf |archive-date=2012-09-16 |url-status=live }}</ref> Al-Shehri opened a bank account at SunTrust Bank in Florida on June 18, with a deposit of $8,000 that came from [[American Express]] traveler's cheques purchased on June 7 in the United Arab Emirates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |title=Hijackers' Timeline |author=Federal Bureau of Investigation |publisher=NEFA Foundation |date=2008-02-04 |access-date=2008-10-06 |pages=162 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012013300/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-12 }}</ref>

Al-Shehri moved into the Homing Inn, a budget motel in [[Boynton Beach, Florida|Boynton Beach]], on June 21, 2001, sharing a room with his brother Waleed and [[Satam al-Suqami]].<ref name="zuckoff">{{cite news |title=How 10 Hijackers Hid in Plain Sight |author1=Zuckoff, Mitchell  |author2=Michael Rezendes  |name-list-style=amp |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=2001-09-21}}</ref> Wail al-Shehri and al-Suqami both used this hotel as their address when they received Florida state non-driver identifications on July 3.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |title=Hijackers' Timeline |author=Federal Bureau of Investigation |publisher=NEFA Foundation |date=2008-02-04 |access-date=2008-10-06 |pages=176 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012013300/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-12 }}</ref> Al-Shehri checked into the Panther Motel & Apartments, in [[Deerfield Beach, Florida|Deerfield Beach]], with his brother and al-Suqami on August 2, staying there until August 10.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/notablecases/moussaoui/exhibits/prosecution/OG00013.pdf |title=Hijackers' True Name Usage |publisher=United States District Court – Eastern District of Virginia |pages=2 |access-date=2008-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512160457/http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/notablecases/moussaoui/exhibits/prosecution/OG00013.pdf |archive-date=2009-05-12 |url-status=live }}</ref> While in Florida, al-Shehri was a member of the World Gym in Boynton Beach, where he trained with Waleed and al-Suqami.<ref>{{cite news |title=Suspects Joined Gyms in S. Florida Fitness Clubs |newspaper=South Florida Sun-Sentinel |date=September 19, 2001 |author=King, Jonathon, Vicky Agnew and Nancy Othon}}</ref> During the summer of 2001, al-Shehri regularly used computers at the Delray Beach Public Library.<ref>{{cite magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005213345/http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200504250750.asp |archive-date=2008-10-05 |title=Check This Out – Libraries should be a key target of the Patriot Act |author=Murdock, Deroy |magazine=National Review |date=2005-04-25 |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200504250750.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331203051/http://washingtontimes.com/news/2005/apr/23/20050423-104813-8475r/ |archive-date=2009-03-31 |url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2005/apr/23/20050423-104813-8475r/ |title=Terror Trove |newspaper=Washington Times |date=2005-04-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On August 28, 2001, Wail and Waleed al-Shehri made reservations on [[American Airlines Flight 11]], using the [[Mail Boxes Etc.]] in Hollywood, Florida, as their address. The al-Shehri brothers contacted American Airlines on September 3 by telephone to change their first-class seat assignments for American Airlines Flight 11, selecting seats on the side of the aircraft that offered a direct view of the cockpit. Wail and Waleed al-Shehri left Florida for Boston on September 5, traveling together on Delta Air Lines Flight 2462.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |title=Hijackers' Timeline |author=Federal Bureau of Investigation |publisher=NEFA Foundation |date=2008-02-04 |access-date=2008-10-06 |pages=249; 257 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012013300/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-12 }}</ref>

Wail al-Shehri checked in together with Waleed at the Park Inn Hotel in [[Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts]], on September 5, 2001, staying in room 432.<ref name="remain">{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025052043/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/11/september11/main521523.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories |archive-date=2012-10-25 |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/11/september11/main521523.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories |title=Hijackers Remain Mysterious, A Window Into Their Daily Lives Leaves Dark Questions |publisher=CBS News |date=2002-09-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> While staying at the Park Inn, the brothers may have called a prostitute.<ref name="fbi278"/><ref name="noonan"/> Wail al-Shehri accompanied his brother on September 9 to the Travelex at Logan International Airport, where Waleed attempted to wire $5,000 to the United Arab Emirates. Waleed had insufficient documentation, so the brothers returned the next day to complete the transaction. [[Mustafa al-Hawsawi]] received the funds on September 11 at Al-Ansari Exchange in Sharjah.<ref name="fbi278">{{cite web|url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |title=Hijackers' Timeline |author=Federal Bureau of Investigation |publisher=NEFA Foundation |date=2008-02-04 |access-date=2008-10-06 |pages=278; 284; 292 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012013300/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-12 }}</ref> Hijacker [[Abdulaziz al-Omari]] possibly spent a night at the Park Inn before leaving with [[Mohamed Atta]] for [[Portland, Maine]], on September 10. When Wail and Waleed al-Shehri checked out on September 11, they left a sheet of instructions for flying a jet behind in their hotel room.<ref name="noonan">{{cite news |title=9/11 Reminder, Park Inn, Now Being Demolished |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=2005-02-17 |author=Noonan, Erica}}</ref>

== Attacks ==
{{Main|American Airlines Flight 11}}
Wail al-Shehri, his brother [[Waleed al-Shehri|Waleed]], and [[Satam al-Suqami]] arrived together at Logan Airport at 06:45 on September 11, 2001.<ref name="911-ch1">{{cite book |title=9/11 Commission Report |chapter-url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm |chapter=Chapter 1.1–"We Have Some Planes", Inside the Four Flights |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |year=2004 |pages=1–13 |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511160550/http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_ch1.htm |archive-date=2008-05-11 |url-status=live }}</ref> Upon check-in, all three men were selected by the [[Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System]] (CAPPS) for further screening of their checked baggage. As the CAPPS was only for luggage, the three hijackers did not undergo any extra scrutiny at the passenger security checkpoint.<ref name="staff">{{cite web |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/staff_statement_3.pdf |title=The Aviation Security System and the 9/11 Attacks – Staff Statement No. 3 |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |year=2004 |pages=6 |access-date=2006-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528201527/http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/staff_statement_3.pdf |archive-date=2008-05-28 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Logan's Baggage Screeners Defended Workers Unfairly Blamed, Company Supervisor Says |date=2001-10-10 |newspaper=Boston Globe |author=Murphy, Shelley}}</ref>

By 07:40, all five hijackers were aboard the flight, which was scheduled to depart at 07:45. Wail and Waleed al-Shehri sat together in first class in seats 2A and 2B respectively.<ref name="911-ch1"/> The aircraft taxied away from Gate&nbsp;26, and departed Logan International Airport at 07:59, following a 14-minute delay.<ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216072126/http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/planes_reconstruction.htm |archive-date=2008-12-16 |url=http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/planes_reconstruction.htm |title=Probe reconstructs horror, calculated attacks on planes |last=Johnson |first=Glen |date=2001-11-23 |newspaper=Boston Globe |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="ntsb">{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/info/Flight_%20Path_%20Study_AA11.pdf |title=Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 11 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=2002-02-19 |access-date=2008-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080530061803/https://www.ntsb.gov/info/Flight_%20Path_%20Study_AA11.pdf |archive-date=2008-05-30 |url-status=live }}</ref> Flight&nbsp;11 was hijacked at approximately 08:14, which is when the pilot stopped responding to [[air traffic control]].<ref name="911-ch1"/><ref name="ntsb" /> It is suspected that the brothers stabbed two flight attendants in the hijacking.<ref name="911-ch1"/> At 08:46:40, [[Mohamed Atta]], who was flying the plane, deliberately crashed Flight&nbsp;11 into the northern facade of the North Tower (Tower&nbsp;1) of the World Trade Center between floors 93 and 99.<ref name="ntsb" /> The immediate damage destroyed any means of escape from above the impact zone, trapping 1,344&nbsp;people.<ref name="102Mins">{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216112816/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E6DC153BF935A15756C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=4 |archive-date=2008-12-16 |last=Dwyer |first=Jim |author2=Lipton, Eric |title=102 Minutes: Last Words at the Trade Center; Fighting to Live as the Towers Die |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E6DC153BF935A15756C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=4 |date=2002-05-26 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2008-05-23 |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead }}</ref> The North Tower [[collapse of the World Trade Center|collapsed]] at 10:28, after burning for 102 minutes.<ref name="nist-ncstar1-8-p37">{{cite web |url=http://wtc.nist.gov/NISTNCSTAR1-8.pdf |title=NIST NCSTAR 1–8 – The Emergency Response |author=Lawson, J. Randall, Robert L. Vettori |publisher=National Institute of Standards and Technology |date=September 2005 |pages=37 |access-date=2008-10-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005013250/http://wtc.nist.gov/NISTNCSTAR1-8.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-05 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Aftermath ==
Waleed al-Shehri was reported to have been found alive by a [[BBC]] News article on September 23, 2001,<ref name="bbc-20010932">{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929150134/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm |archive-date=2008-09-29 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm |work=BBC News |title=Hijack 'suspects' alive and well |date=2003-09-23 |access-date=2008-09-30 |url-status=live }}</ref> and other news reports in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Reports said that the al-Shehri brothers were the sons of a Saudi diplomat stationed in [[New Delhi]], Ahmed al-Shehri. The diplomat's son was trained as a pilot at [[Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University]] in [[Daytona Beach, Florida]], and was working as a pilot for [[Saudi Arabian Airlines]]. At the time of the attacks, he was in [[Morocco]] for a training program.<ref name="bbc-20010932"/> There were also reports that Wail al-Shehri was a trained pilot.<ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025085559/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1341136/Piecing-together-the-shadowy-lives-of-the-hijackers.html |archive-date=2008-10-25 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1341136/Piecing-together-the-shadowy-lives-of-the-hijackers.html |title=Piecing together the shadowy lives of the hijackers |date=2001-09-20 |newspaper=The Telegraph |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Saudi officials suggested that Wail and Waleed al-Shehri were victims of [[identity theft]],<ref>{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513002044/http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/globe_stories/0915/Hijackers_may_have_taken_Saudi_identities+.shtml |archive-date=2008-05-13 |url=http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/globe_stories/0915/Hijackers_may_have_taken_Saudi_identities+.shtml |title=Hijackers may have taken Saudi identities |author1=Cullen, Kevin |author2=Anthony Shadid |name-list-style=amp |date=2001-09-15 |newspaper=Boston Globe |url-status=dead }}</ref> but the diplomat's son was the victim of mistaken identity.<ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080330231932/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06EEDF1E3BF932A1575AC0A9679C8B63 |archive-date=2008-03-30 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06EEDF1E3BF932A1575AC0A9679C8B63 |title=Confusion Over Names Clouds Identities of Attackers on Jets |newspaper=The New York Times |author=MacFarquhar, Neil |date=2001-09-21 |access-date=2008-11-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Jamal Khashoggi]], of ''[[Al Watan (Saudi Arabia)|Al Watan]]'' and ''[[Arab News]]'' in Saudi Arabia, spoke with Muhammad Ali al-Shehri in Khamis Mushait, who said his sons Wail and Waleed had been missing for months.<ref name="buqami"/> He denied reports that Wail had an aeronautics degree, as some news reports said, "My son Wail was 25 years old and had a BA in physical education from the Abha Teacher’s College. He was mentally ill and had gone to numerous clerics for assistance in overcoming this instability. He had asked the school, where he taught, for a 6-month leave to go to Madinah."<ref name="tunis">{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005180532/http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=9454&d=1&m=10&y=2001 |archive-date=2008-10-05 |url=http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=9454&d=1&m=10&y=2001 |title=Another Saudi 'hijacker' turns up in Tunis |newspaper=Arab News |date=2001-10-01 |author1=Ba-Isa, Molouk Y. |author2=Saud Al-Towaim |name-list-style=amp |url-status=dead }}</ref> His father also told reporters that he dreaded having to believe that his sons were involved in the September 11 attacks, "If that turns out to be the truth, then I'll never, never accept it from them. I'll never forgive them for that."<ref>{{cite news |title=Killers in the cockpit: Who and why? Acts of 19 men shook civilized world to core |newspaper=The Washington Times |date=2002-09-10 |author=Murray, Frank J.}}</ref> Family members said that Wail and Waleed became very religious in the months before they disappeared, had expressed interest in going to Chechnya, and hoped for martyrdom.<ref name="tunis"/> In a report entitled "A Saudi Apology" for ''[[Dateline NBC]]'' aired on August 25, 2002, [[John Hockenberry]] traveled to Asir, where he interviewed another al-Shehri brother, Salah, who agreed that Wail and Waleed were deceased. Salah described them as not very religious, and suggested they had been brainwashed.<ref>{{cite episode |title=A Saudi Apology |series=Dateline NBC |network=NBC |airdate=2002-08-25}}</ref>

Saudi officials later stated that the names of the hijackers were in fact correct, and that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi.<ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929205512/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/02/06/saudi.htm |archive-date=2008-09-29 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/02/06/saudi.htm |title=Official: 15 of 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were Saud |publisher=USA Today / Associated Press |date=2002-02-06 |access-date=2008-09-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In response to [[9/11 conspiracy theories]] surrounding its original news story suggesting hijackers were still alive, the BBC stated in 2006 that later reports on the hijackers superseded the original story. The BBC also explained that confusion arose with the Arabic names that were common.<ref name="bbc2006">{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927014325/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2006/10/911_conspiracy_theory_1.html |archive-date=2008-09-27 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2006/10/911_conspiracy_theory_1.html |title=9/11 conspiracy theory |author=Hermann, Steve |date=2006-10-27 |work=BBC News |access-date=2008-09-30 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Hijackers in the September 11 attacks]]
* {{anl|PENTTBOM}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}

{{featured article}}

{{9-11 hijackers}}
{{AmericanTerrorism}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shehri, Wail Mohammed}}
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:2001 suicides]]
[[Category:American Airlines Flight 11 hijackers]]
[[Category:Male suicides]]
[[Category:People from 'Asir Province]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian al-Qaeda members]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian mass murderers]]