Names of Suspected Hijackers Released

By James Vicini
Reuters

WASHINGTON (Sept. 14) - The FBI disclosed on Friday the names of 19 hijackers, seven of whom were believed to be pilots, on the four commercial jetliners that crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.

The list contained one more hijacker than had been known a day ago and gave some details, including how about a dozen of those involved in the terror attacks possibly lived in Florida, a key area for the FBI's investigation.

The list did not provide any information about the hijackers' national origin, but two of them were in the United States on visas, and the United Arab Emirates was the last known address for one of them.

The list was made public before a news conference by Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller as they prepared to discuss the criminal investigation into the attacks that killed several hundred people. Thousands more are missing.

The additional hijacker was on the Los Angeles-bound flight that crashed into the Pentagon, bringing to five the total who commandeered that plane, the FBI said.

Investigators recovered the key electronic flight data and voice recorder "black boxes" from that flight, but a Justice Department official told reporters the cockpit voice recorder may have been damaged.

The hijackers on the flight, which gouged a huge hole in the Pentagon, were Khalid Al-Midhar, who was in the United States on a visa, Majed Moqed, Nawaq Alhamzi, Salem Alhamzi and pilot Hani Hanjour, who may have lived in Phoenix and San Diego.

No information was available about Moqed, but the Alhamzis were described as possible residents in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

On one flight that crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, the hijackers were in their 20s or early 30s, and all but one of the five were believed to be pilots, the FBI said.

They were Waleed M. Alshehri, Wail Alshehri, Mohamed Atta, who had possible residences in Florida and Hamburg, Germany, Abdulaziz Alomari and Satam Al Suqami, whose last known address was in the United Arab Emirates.

The hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 175, which also slammed into the World Trade Center, were pilot Marwan Al Shehhi, who lived in Hollywood, Florida and was in the United States on a visa. The others were Fayez Ahmed, Mohald Alshehri, Hamza Alghamdi and Ahmed Alghamdi, all of whom were from Delray Beach, Florida.

The hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside, were identified as Ahmed Alhaznawi, Ahmed Alnami, Saeed Alghamdi, all possible residents of Delray Beach, and pilot Ziad Jarrahi.

In releasing the list, the FBI said in a statement that anyone with information about the hijackers should immediately contact one of its field offices or call a toll-free hotline at 1-866-483-5137, which has received thousands of calls.

Reuters 14:05 09-14-01

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