Preparations for 9/11: Key Actions by the Hijackers

In this series, Newsweek reconstructs the events leading to 9/11, occurring 25 years ago. This installment highlights significant developments occurring on and before August 25, 2001.

Setting the Date for the Attacks

On August 25, 2001, the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks set the date for their operation. At 2:12 p.m., Mohammed Atta accessed his Travelocity account to finalize flight reservations. He focused on flights departing from Washington Dulles International Airport and Boston to Los Angeles, all scheduled for the morning of September 11, around 8:00 a.m.

There were two main reasons for this date selection:

• It was after Labor Day, ensuring most Americans, including the government officials, were back at work, maximizing the potential impact.
• It was a Tuesday, a day with typically lighter flights, reducing the likelihood of resistance from passengers.

Mohammed Atta’s Preparations

At 2:43 p.m., Atta created an American Airlines “AAdvantage” account, reserved a business class seat on Flight 11 from Boston at 7:45 a.m., and planned subsequent actions. He had extensively studied the Boeing 767-223ER plane, familiarizing himself with the aircraft through numerous test flights and observations of boarding and security procedures.

After discussing plans with other hijacker pilots, Atta finalized his reservation and payment for the flight on aa.com using his VISA card. He also paid for a seat for A. al-Omari, one of his accomplices.

Booking by Other Hijackers

On August 26, Saudi brothers Waleed and Wail al-Shehri booked tickets on the same flight. Wail used a debit card for a phone purchase, while Waleed made an online purchase. Arriving from Saudi Arabia in April 2001, they joined Atta’s team. They chose first-class seats 2A and 2B, while their compatriots Abdulaziz al-Omari and Satam al-Suqami selected business class seats 8G and 10B. Atta secured seat 8D.

With flights being domestic, the lack of international watchlists meant intelligence agencies had no alert for reservations. Protection against hijacking primarily relied on airport check-in staff, security screeners, and gate attendants.

Tomorrow: Marwan al-Shehhi shared his Florida motel room with Mohammed Atta. They shopped in Target, Circuit City, Payless Shoes, Lowe’s. And a motel manager bent the rules for them.