Mohamed Atta, Ziad Jarrah, Marwan al-Shehhi and Ramzi bin al-Shibh who became known as the Hamburg Cell ultimately were found responsible for the cultivation of the al-Qaeda plot code-named “The Planes Operation.”
Source Mohamed Atta, the eventual ring leader of the hijackers who flew his plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, also helped plan the scheme. After getting a degree in architecture in Cairo, Atta moved to Germany to further his studies and ended up at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg. Upon arrival in Hamburg in the early ’90s, he wasted no time looking for a mosque, eventually finding one called Al Quds. It was through this mosque that Atta formed a prayer group with like-minded Muslims, including Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.
After getting a degree in architecture in Cairo, Atta moved to Germany to further his studies and ended up at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg. Upon arrival in Hamburg in the early ’90s, he wasted no time looking for a mosque, eventually finding one called Al Quds. It was through this mosque that Atta formed a prayer group with like-minded Muslims, including Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.
The group met at an apartment at Marrienstrasse 54. Impressed with Al Qaeda’s bombing of U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998, they soon sought involvement with the organization. By late 1999, they succeeded. After coming to Al Qaeda, the members of the Hamburg cell soon met Osama bin Laden himself. Although unexceptional and unremarkable, these members of the Hamburg cell were exactly the kind of men bin Laden had been looking for. They were dedicated and willing to become martyrs, but most importantly, they had clean backgrounds and would have a relatively easy time getting into the United States.
Bin Laden asked them to become martyrs for the “Planes Operation,” which was a plot crafted by the infamous terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. The idea involved hijacking planes and crashing them into high-profile buildings. Members of the Hamburg cell were ready and willing. They soon went to work, returning to Germany, getting replacement passports, requesting visas and, finally, taking flight lessons in the United States.
The man who allegedly convinced Jarrah to go through with it was Ramzi bin al-Shibh, another member of the original Hamburg cell, who, had he been approved for a visa, would have become the fourth pilot. Instead, that job went to a Saudi named Hani Hanjour, who was already a licensed pilot in the United States. Hanjour joined Al Qaeda after failing to get a job, eventually flying Flight 77 into the Pentagon.
With Al Qaeda supplying funding, instruction and 15 “muscle terrorists” to join them on the planes, the members of the Hamburg cell simply had to follow orders.
vtology says
“Code-naming” the plot “The Planes Operation” just shows how stupid these people are. You don’t “code name” a plot with a name that reveals exactly what the operation is all about. That’s a bit hilarious.
Hartmut says
And still as of today we have boatloads of similarly minded terror prone Muslim extremists in our country who would be more than willing to follow in the footsteps of the Hamburg cell.
The report is absolutely correct in saying that this country is the biggest sanctuary of international terrorism. It is because many of the political left, whose common exploitation and same time contempt of western lifestyle is eminent, wants it exactly that way.
Daniel Erbstoesser says
Hey people take it easy its not as it looks and the politician that is responsible for the possiblility to form a terror organisation has no problem with this and hamburg is the main place for the muslims and the leftside. The politician who is responsible no he has nothing to fear and should his plan work well he will be the next chancellor of germany and then the party starts. who is this politician… Mister SCHOLZ and the party SPD are one of the main actors in the flooding and the destruction of our fatherland but all is ok and we flood and flood and you pay and pay. Keep your eyes on my country (germany) because the next big bash will come from here just as 911 came partly from hamburg.
Az gal says
Obviously, the Muslum can be nice & charming. They compartmentalize the evil & violence of Islam to a part of their brain they can switch to at will. Look at Atta. What was he going to do with his degree in severely overcrowded shithole of Egypt? He’d never get a job & if he did, he’d just live in a caveman apt like the rest of them. A cavemen apt with a chandelier hanging off it, with dirt coated everywhere. They & their families get more fame & glory killing “infidels. You can tell the jihad minded just by looking at their constipated faces.
Sheilasure says
their kookyran tells them to pretend to be the infidel’s friend and them kill them while they sleep
Linda Rivera says
This is one of MANY reasons why non Muslim countries should never allow Muslims — followers of WARLORD Mohammad’s MILITARY, POLITICAL CONQUEST BLOOD Cult into our nations.
To allow Muslims residency in our formerly safe, Christian countries is an ACT of TREASON and a WICKED CRIME Against HUMANITY.
End the Treason. Now!
Ghulam says
I was studying for a Master’s degree in Germany at the same time in the late 90’s.
Might have run into at least one of them in a mosque. We have large prayer groups and most of them don’t interact after the Salah
I spent a lot of time in Hamburg even though my university was in North Rhine-Westphalia…in the Cologne-Bonn-Dusseldorf region.
That place rings a bell.
Az gal says
Our very own token Muslum could have been a 9/11 terrorist. I imagine just about every Muslum male looks to these scumbags as heroes. Oh well, God does allow evil. Perhaps as a warning to us. It certainly woke me up.
Bradley S Sidman says
I thik the “Hamburg Cell” met an Iraqi intelligence agent, too. The NYT triedto cover this up.
Mano says
This is Germany needs to be eradicated as it’s a Safe haven for Islamic scum
Daniel Erbstoesser says
Yep thats it folks for all to see. We the west are bringing the terrorists into our countries and then we teach them to fly or as in afgahnistan we teach them our military strategy and mali is the next nest of enrichment ,at the same time we let millions of them into our countries. The people of that country are allowed to pay for home and eats and school so that the good terrorist can do his work. All of the politicians and people in high places are at fault because without their human rights bull not one of them would have been here, so you see its our own that are screwing us.
Andrew Blackadder says
Not one single Afghan among them, however that poor country suffered the consequences.
I think the US Special Forces could have sneaked into Afghanistan under cover of night and grabbed Bin Laden but I guess the War Machine would have been unable to amass such a fortune over the last 20 years if they had done that.
I told many people all those years ago that invading Afghanistan, a country that had little to do with that horror in NYC, will be the biggest political disaster the USA will ever make.
I take no pride in being correct about that, but I hope the people I told all those years ago remember my words.
Az gal says
I said the same, Andrew. Even worse was Iraq.