Bin Laden knew that destroying the Twin Towers in New York would ultimately become the symbol of America’s downfall. Sharafan explained his plan in detail. With over a hundred strategically placed Muslim fundamentalists already in the United States, he would gather them together and activate eight cells — with none of the groups in contact with the others until the last day. Bin Laden had sent money for their training and nearly a dozen had already been trained to fly big commercial jets like the 747 and 757.For more than a year, Sharafan and Mombassa had worked with the five groups. All were prepared and excited to become martyrs for Islam. Five men were sent to each cell. Many looked like every-day Americans with the same goals and dreams, but they had very, very different goals. The oldest was thirty-three and had been in the United States for over eight years, but he never wavered in his ideas toward his faith. Most were twenty-two to twenty-five years of age and all were eager to serve Mohammed. They practiced diligently in July and August of 2001.
Everything was running smoothly until Atta and Shehhi returned from Germany in January of 2001 and both men were denied entry. They convinced the INS they needed to finish their flight training. Eventually their re-entry into the United States was cleared, and they both returned to Florida to continue their flight lessons.
In 2001 Hanjour started training at Pan Am International Flight Academy. The lessons were in a simulator for a Boeing 737. The pilots became the leaders for each group, with Atta exerting control over all while being instructed by Sharafan.
The money continued to flow and the men continued to train. With the pilots situated, Sharafan set about finding men to control the planes they would hijack. He wanted groups of five for each cell. Now Sharafan set out to find those who would complement his pilots. What he needed were muscle men that could carry off the hijackings and protect his men.
Ahmed al Ghamdi and Majed Moqed arrived at Dulles airport in May and joined up with Hanjour and Hazmi. Together they rented an apartment in Paterson, New Jersey.
Soon others joined them including Ahmed al Ghamdi, Abdul Aziz al Omari, and Nawaf’s brother Salem Hazmi. The last to arrive was Khalid al Mihdhar who returned in July 2001.
Slowly and patiently, Sharafan assembled the five cells: Satam al Suqami, Wail al Shehri, Waleed al Shehri, Abdul Aziz al Omari, Ahmed al Ghamdi, Hamza al Ghamdi, Mohand al Shehri, Majed Moqed, Salem al Hazmi, Saeed al Ghamdi, Ahmad al Haznawi and Ahmed al Nami, Ihab Ali, and Fayez Banihammad. Also to join with the group were three of Sharafan’s close associates: Yazeed Aziz, Satam al Majid, and Abu Mombassa.
The original date was to be May but they weren’t ready. Then a problem surfaced in June when bin Laden sent another hundred terrorists to set themselves in positions to take action against the United States at a later date. Somehow the Israeli Massad discovered the Coalition’s actions and notified the American FBI and CIA. They warned them something was about to happen, but they did not know what the terrorists had planned. Neither American intelligence agency responded to the information even though the Massad pressed that their intelligence was accurate and time was critical. President Obama waved off Israel one more time and all his men dismissed the reports. This was an action they would regret for the rest of their lives, which was short to say the least.
Now Sharafan and bin Laden knew their plan would work. The date changed to July but internal problems continued to plague them. Most were devout Muslims but not Suqami and Salem Hazmi. The two would drink in bars and harass topless dancers, even bragging about things they wanted to do to America. Sharafan had Salem’s brother Nawaf rein both the men in with threats. The intimidation was mildly effective.
Bin Laden had delayed the original target date of September fifth. He needed two days to transfer his wealth, which was now near a billion dollars. He sold his airline stocks and the stocks in the companies that insured the Twin Towers. He explained to Sharafan he would sell short in the insurance and airlines, causing his fortune to triple. They would then have nearly three billion dollars to invest in their plans to destroy the United States.
Sharafan thought it ironic and sadistically humorous that they might actually get wealthy after they had killed thousands of unsuspecting Americans. He also noted how close he and bin Laden were to striking a real blow for their promised jihad and fatwa.
The final date was September 11, which Sharafan thought to be ironic as the date, since 911, was what Americans used on their phone for panic situations or an emergency. Sharafan snickered to himself when he realized how many 911 numbers would be dialed on that day.
The weapons for the hijackings were simple and would be knives and box cutters, with threats of bombs to deter any overzealous passengers. After a few test flights between New York and Los Angeles, they found these items could be easily concealed in their toiletry bags. They would also carry mace as an added deterrent to any would-be heroes. They were to attack the first ten to fifteen minutes after takeoff when the cockpit doors were still open. Their targets were the Twin Towers of New York, the Pentagon, the White House, and the Capital Building. All were excited to strike the first blow against America.
Late in July of 2001, Sharafan contacted the groups and announced everything was ready for the new mission. Some were sent tickets, some bought their own. Sharafan reminded them all to buy round trip tickets even though it was a one-way campaign. Four even bought tickets for October so there would be no suspicion. Who would suspect someone of dying as a martyr when they had tickets for the future? Everything went as planned. A little more than a month later they were ready to put their plan into action and strike the first blow.
They were also told which targets they would hit. Atta would be first, hitting one of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York. Next Shehhi would crash into the other Tower. The Pentagon was Hanjour’s target. The Washington Capitol Building would be Jarrah’s mission, while Moussaoui was given the privilege of crashing into the White House.
With only weeks before the mission, many of the men wanted to say goodbye to their families, but Sharafan expressly forbid them doing so. On August 4 the last hijacker, Mohamed al Kahtani, arrived but was denied entry.
Over time, another problem had been simmering between Atta and Jarrah. They argued constantly. Jarrah did not like being controlled and ordered around by Atta. He expressed his concerns to Sharafan who reluctantly allowed Jarrah to see Senguen one more time with the promise to fulfill his obligation for the jihad. It was well Jarrah followed through with his promise, because the INS arrested Moussaoui on August 16. Sharafan did not learn about the arrest until after Red Eagle had been completed. If they had known Moussaoui had been arrested, Sharafan would most likely have decided to cancel their plans. But later the arrest would create a major problem for him.