“ Most of the other hijackers grew up in urban environments. The al-Shehhi brothers, for example, had grown up in a well-off family in the city and were well-traveled. Sheikh Mohammed's misgivings about Al-Qahtani notwithstanding, he blamed Al-Qahtani's failure on facilitator al-Hawsawi because al-Hawsawi gave Al-Qahtani only a one-way ticket and provided him with only limited information about his points of contacts in the U.S., which in Sheikh Mohammed's view were the causes for Al-Qahtani's deportation. ”

“ In 1998, Bin Laden publicly declared war against the United States. It was at this time that Bin Laden raised Sheikh Mohammed's idea with Muhammad Atif aka Abu Hafs al-Masri. Bin Laden requested a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed in Qandahar, Afghanistan, during which he specifically requested Sheikh Mohammed's assistance in developing an operation designed to drive aircraft into targets. Sheikh Mohammed agreed to head up the operation, and at Bin Laden's request, he moved his family to Qandahar and became a member of al Qaeda. ”

“ Sheikh Mohammed related one instance when he considered an operative had failed to perform. This occurred when he instructed Zacarias Moussaoui to travel to Malaysia in 1999 and enroll in flight school. Moussaoui disobeyed orders and created problems by becoming involved with Hambali's group doing things such as obtaining explosives for the group. After this, Sheikh Mohammed concluded that Moussaoui was not qualified to be an operative. Moussaoui was punished by being enrolled in a school in Qandahar, Afghanistan, after which al Qaeda leadership considered him reformed ”

“ This was because al Qaeda was not at the stage of selecting targets, as they needed to identify and train additional pilots, select and transport the supporting operatives into the U.S. and allow them to train and do any necessary surveillance. Sheikh Mohammed also said that he was consumed with the responsibilities of managing the 9/11 operation, and thus was unable to direct much attention to the second wave plot. ”

“ On both occasions, Sheikh Mohammed was able to withstand Bin Laden's pressure by asserting that his hijacking team was not ready yet.
The Hijackers Travel Through Dubai, UAE
66. The hijackers traveled to the U.S. via Dubai, where they met with Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi ("al-Hawsawi") and received final instructions on security and were informed that they had been selected to participate in a suicide hijacking operation of U.S. aircraft. The distribution of the hijacking teams was decided by Atta who communicated that information to al-Hawsawi. ”

“ Although you do not have the ability to see the witness's demeanor as he testifies, you must approach these statements with the understanding that they were made under circumstances designed to elicit truthful statements from the witness. ”