Marwan al-Shehhi

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Marwan al-Shehhi
مروان الشحي
Born	Marwan Yousef Mohamed Rashid Lekrab al-Shehhi (1978-05-09)9 May 1978 Al Qusaidat, United Arab Emirates
Died	11 September 2001 (2001-09-12) (aged 23) South Tower, New York City, U.S.
Cause of death	Suicide by plane crash during the September 11 attacks
Alma mater	University of Bonn Hamburg U. of Technology
Known for	Being the hijacker pilot of United Airlines Flight 175 in the September 11 attacks
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Spouse	Fawzeya al-Shehhi
Signature

Marwan Yousef Mohamed Rashid Lekrab al-Shehhi (Arabic: مروان يوسف محمد رشيد لكراب الشحي, romanized: Marwān Yūsuf Muḥammad Rashīd Likrāb al-Shiḥḥī; 9 May 1978 – 11 September 2001) was an Emirati terrorist hijacker from al-Qaeda who served as the hijacker-pilot of United Airlines Flight 175, crashing the Boeing 767 into the South Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the September 11 attacks. He was one of five hijackers aboard the aircraft and one of two Emiratis to take part in the attacks, the other being Fayez Banihammad, who helped him hijack the same plane.^[1]

Al-Shehhi was a student from the United Arab Emirates who moved to Germany in 1996 and soon became close friends with Mohamed Atta, Ziad Jarrah and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, forming the Hamburg cell. Together, after pledging their lives to martyrdom, they became the leaders of the 11 September attacks. In late 1999, al-Shehhi, Atta, Jarrah, and bin al-Shibh traveled to terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and met with Osama bin Laden who recruited the four Hamburg cell members for the attacks in the United States. He arrived in the United States in May 2000, one month before Atta. Atta, Al-Shehhi, and Jarrah had been trained as pilots in Florida at Huffman Aviation, receiving their commercial pilot licenses in December 2000 and January 2001 from the FAA.

Al-Shehhi spent his time making preparations for the attack itself, such as meeting with crucial planners abroad, assisting with the arrival of hijackers aboard the other flights, and travelling on surveillance flights determining details on how the hijacking would take place. On 9 September 2001, he traveled from Florida to Boston, where he stayed at the Milner Hotel until 11 September. After boarding United Airlines Flight 175 at Logan International Airport, al-Shehhi and 4 other hijackers waited 30 minutes into the flight to make their attack, which then allowed al-Shehhi to take over control as pilot, and at 9:03 a.m., 17 minutes after Mohamed Atta crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower, Al-Shehhi crashed the Boeing 767 into the South Tower of the World Trade Center between floors 77 to 85.^[2] At 23 years of age, he was the youngest hijacker-pilot to participate in the attacks. The impact of the Boeing 767 into the South Tower was seen live on television around the world as it happened. At 9:59 a.m., after 56 minutes of burning, the 110-story skyscraper collapsed, killing hundreds of people, including around 900 office workers and first responders.