PENTTBOM

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The basement of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the FBI's headquarters, was used as the base of operations for PENTTBOM FBI Headquarters - J. Edgar Hoover Building (53840035941).jpg
The basement of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the FBI's headquarters, was used as the base of operations for PENTTBOM

PENTTBOM (sometimes spelled as PENTTBOMB [1] ) was the FBI's investigation into the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, in which 19 members of al-Qaeda hijacked four U.S. commercial airliners in an attempt to crash them into national landmarks. The name is short for "Pentagon/Twin Towers Bombs", the "bombs" being three planes that had hit the Pentagon in Virginia, and the Twin Towers (1 and 2 World Trade Center) in New York City. The fourth plane unintentionally crashed in Pennsylvania.

Contents

It was the largest investigation in the FBI's history, [2] in total involving 7,000 employees, including 4,000 special agents. [3] [4] They conducted 180,000 interviews and reviewed millions of pages of documents, and just within the first few months after the attacks, looked into more than 250,000 leads. Thousands of agents were dispatched to other countries for field research. [2]

Background

On September 11, 2001, thousands of civilians were killed in coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda. 19 members of al-Qaeda inside the United States hijacked four commercial airliners departing the East Coast, in an attempt to crash them into national landmarks. American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were crashed into 1 and 2 World Trade Center (1 and 2 WTC), skyscrapers in the World Trade Center complex in New York City. The crashes caused both buildings to collapse hours later. American Airlines Flight 77 was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. United Airlines Flight 93, likely intended to be crashed in or near Washington D.C., ultimately crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after the passengers fought back against the hijackers. Everyone onboard the four planes were killed in the crashes. [5]

On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into 2 WTC (center), while 1 WTC (right) is damaged from the impact of American Airlines Flight 11 UA Flight 175 hits WTC south tower 9-11 edit.jpeg
On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into 2 WTC (center), while 1 WTC (right) is damaged from the impact of American Airlines Flight 11

Al-Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Laden, and the planning of September 11 was masterminded by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. [6] The CIA started tracking bin Laden in January 1996, [7] [8] and in August, he declared war against the U.S. on behalf of the Muslim world, demanding the expulsion of all American soldiers stationed in the Arabian Peninsula. [9]

Before the attacks, the various hijackers moved to and lived in the U.S. while making their preparations. Some took flight training courses to prepare for piloting the planes after they would be hijacked, and others were "muscle" hijackers who would assist them. The hijackers on Flight 11 were hijacker-pilot Mohamed Atta, Abdulaziz al-Omari, Satam al-Suqami, Wail al-Shehri, and Waleed al-Shehri. On Flight 175, there was hijacker-pilot Marwan al-Shehhi, Ahmed al-Ghamdi, Fayez Banihammad, Hamza al-Ghamdi, and Mohand al-Shehri. Flight 77 had hijacker-pilot Hani Hanjour, Khalid al-Mihdhar, Majed Moqed, Nawaf al-Hazmi, and Salem al-Hazmi. Flight 93 had hijacker-pilot Ziad Jarrah, Ahmad al-Haznawi, Ahmed al-Nami, and Saeed al-Ghamdi. [6]

Other major conspirators included Mohammed Atef, [10] Ramzi bin al-Shibh, [11] and Walid bin Attash. [12] Additionally, al-Qaeda's plan was worked on by the Hamburg cell, a terrorist cell in Hamburg, before three of its members left for the U.S.—al-Shehhi, Atta, and Jarrah. [13] The other cell members were bin al-Shibh, Abdelghani Mzoudi, Mamoun Darkazanli, Mohammed Haydar Zammar, Mounir el-Motassadeq, Naamen Meziche, Said Bahaji, and Zakariya Essabar. [13] [14]

Opening the investigation

U.S. intelligence determined al-Qaeda to be the perpetrator of the attacks before September 11 was over. [15] At 9:52 a.m. ET—after Flights 11, 175, and 77 had crashed, but before Flight 93 had—the NSA intercepted a phone call between a known associate of bin Laden in Afghanistan, and someone in the Republic of Georgia, the former announcing that he had heard "good news", and that another target was still to be hit. [16] Around 3:30 p.m., U.S. president George W. Bush convened a meeting of U.S. intelligence officials. Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet stated that he was very certain that bin Laden and his associates were the perpetrators, mentioning that U.S. intelligence had checked the manifest of Flight 77, and found three names of known al-Qaeda members. [15]

The FBI began their investigation immediately upon the attacks. [17] Its name, PENTTBOM, is short for "Pentagon/Twin Towers Bombs", the "bombs" being planes filled with jet fuel, in accordance with FBI naming tradition; for instance, their investigation of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing was "OKBOM". First involving 70 people, the investigators' base of operations was in the basement of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the agency's headquarters. [2]

Identifying the hijackers

The FBI was able to identify the 19 hijackers within a matter of days as few suspects made any effort to conceal their names on flight, credit card, and other records. [18]

Identical letters

Three of the hijackers carried copies of an identical handwritten letter [19] [20] (in Arabic) that was found in three separate locations: the first, in a suitcase of Mohamed Atta that did not make the connection to American Airlines Flight 11 that crashed into 1 World Trade Center; the second, in a vehicle parked at Washington Dulles International Airport that belonged to hijacker Nawaf al-Hazmi; and the third at the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. [21]

According to the testimony before the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Defense on October 3, 2001, given by J. T. Caruso, the Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, "translations of the letter indicate an alarming willingness to die on the part of the hijackers." [22]

Passports recovered

According to testimony by Susan Ginsberg, a staff member of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, in the January 26, 2004, Public Hearing: [23]

Four of the hijackers' passports have survived in whole or in part. Two were recovered from the crash site of United Airlines flight 93 in Pennsylvania. These are the passports of Ziad Jarrah and Saeed al Ghamdi. One belonged to a hijacker on American Airlines flight 11. This is the passport of Satam al Suqami. A passerby picked it up and gave it to a NYPD detective shortly before the World Trade Center towers collapsed. A fourth passport was recovered from luggage that did not make it from a Portland flight to Boston on to the connecting flight which was American Airlines Flight 11. This is the passport of Abdulaziz al-Omari.

In addition to these four, some digital copies of the hijackers passports were recovered in post-9/11 operations. Two of the passports that have survived, those of Satam al-Suqami and Abdulaziz al-Omari, were clearly doctored. These passports were manipulated in a fraudulent manner in ways that have been associated with al Qaeda.

The passport of hijacker Satam al-Suqami was recovered a few blocks from the World Trade Center. [24] [25]

According to the 9/11 Commission, the passports of two of the Flight 93 hijackers were also found intact in the aircraft's debris field. [26]

The doctored passport of hijacker Abdulaziz al-Omari was found in Mohamed Atta's left-behind luggage. [26]

When examining Mohamed Atta's luggage, the FBI found important clues about the hijackers and their plans. His luggage contained papers that revealed the identity of all 19 hijackers, and provided information about their plans, motives, and backgrounds. [27] The FBI was able to determine details such as dates of birth, known and/or possible residences, visa statuses, and specific identities of the suspected pilots.

Recovery of remains

Linking the hijackers to al-Qaeda

The investigators were quickly able to link the 19 men to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, by accessing their intelligence agency files. The New York Times reported on September 12 that: "Authorities said they had also identified accomplices in several cities who had helped plan and execute Tuesday's attacks. Officials said they knew who these people were and important biographical details about many of them. They prepared biographies of each identified member of the hijack teams, and began tracing the recent movements of the men." FBI agents in Florida investigating the hijackers quickly "descended on flight schools, neighborhoods and restaurants in pursuit of leads." At one flight school, "students said investigators were there within hours of Tuesday's attacks." [28] The Washington Post later reported that "In the hours after Tuesday's bombings, investigators searched their files on [Satam] Al Suqami and [Ahmed] Alghamdi, noted the pair's ties to [Nabil] al-Marabh and launched a hunt for him." [29]

On September 27, 2001, the FBI released photos of the 19 hijackers, along with information about the possible nationalities and aliases of many. [30]

Press releases

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Federal Bureau of Investigation Casework and Human Resource Allocation" . Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "FBI's 9/11 team still hard at work". NBC News. June 14, 2004. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  3. ↑ "9/11 Investigation (PENTTBOM)". Famous Cases & Criminals. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ "The FBI's 9/11 Role by the Numbers". Ten Years After: The FBI Since 9/11. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ Editors, HISTORY com (February 17, 2010). "September 11 Attacks: Facts, Background & Impact". HISTORY. Retrieved January 31, 2026.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. 1 2 "9/11 anniversary: Who were the September 11th attackers and what are the links with the new Taliban regime?". Sky News. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  7. ↑ Law, Randall David (September 26, 2016). Terrorism : a history (Second ed.). Cambridge, UK. ISBN   9780745690896. OCLC   935783894.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ↑ The Oxford companion to American politics. Coates, David, 1946-. New York: Oxford University Press. 2012. ISBN   978-0-19-976432-7. OCLC   819762142.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ↑ "Online NewsHour: Bin Laden's Fatwa". www.pbs.org. Archived from the original on October 31, 2001. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  10. ↑ "National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States". www.9-11commission.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Mosque at the centre of 'Hamburg cell' in the spotlight again". The Guardian. October 7, 2010. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Trial of suspected 9/11 mastermind resumes". dw.com. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Mosque at the centre of 'Hamburg cell' in the spotlight again". The Guardian. October 7, 2010. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Photo Gallery: What Became of the Hamburg Cell". Der Spiegel. August 29, 2011. ISSN   2195-1349 . Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "America's Chaotic Road to War (washingtonpost.com)". www.washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  16. ↑ Cockburn, Andrew (March 25, 2007). "'Rumsfeld'". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Special Report". oig.justice.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Federal Bureau of Investigation - Facts and Figures 2003". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  19. 1 2 "FBI Releases Copy of Four-Page Letter Linked to Hijackers". FBI. September 28, 2001. Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Last words of a terrorist". The Observer. September 30, 2001. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  21. ↑ Shanksville, Mailing Address: P. O. Box 911; Us, PA 15560 Phone: 814 893-6322 Contact. "September 11, 2001 Timeline - Flight 93 National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved October 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ↑ "Federal Bureau of Investigation - Congressional Testimony". FBI. October 3, 2001. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  23. ↑ "National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States". govinfo.library.unt.edu. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  24. ↑ Larry Neumeister (September 16, 2001). "Suspected hijacker's passport found". Arizona Daily Star. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 9, 2002. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  25. ↑ Larry Neumeister (September 16, 2001). "Passport of suspected hijacker found in debris". Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  26. 1 2 "Seventh public hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States". The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. January 26, 2004. Archived from the original on April 7, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2008.
  27. ↑ Dorman, Michael (April 17, 2006). "Unraveling 9-11 was in the bags". Newsday (New York). Archived from the original on May 26, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2008.
  28. ↑ Canedy, Dana; Sanger, David E. (September 13, 2001). "After the attacks: The suspects; Hijacking Trail Leads F.B.I. to Florida Flight School". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  29. ↑ John Mintz; Allan Lengel (September 21, 2001). "FBI Arrests Kuwaiti Liquor Store Clerk". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 11, 2011.[ dead link ]
  30. 1 2 "The FBI Releases 19 Photographs of Individuals Believed to be the Hijackers of the Four Airliners that Crashed on September 11, 2001". FBI. September 11, 2001. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Information Regarding September 11 Incidents". FBI. September 11, 2001. Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  32. ↑ "FBI Announces List of 19 Hijackers". FBI. September 13, 2001. Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Boston Division Seeks Assistance". FBI. October 4, 2001. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
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