He stressed no contact with family members, but what Sharafan did not know might have also caused him to call off the mission. Atta refused to let anyone get in touch with their families while he made contacts back in his country. Jarrah communicated with Senguen, and a few days before the attack he left a letter to her stating what he was about to do and how honored she should be. Khalid Hamzi began to brag to his American friends about what was going to happen. Sharafan knew none of this and the mission continued.
Two days remained and the men were already moving into position. Only one problem confronted Sharafan. No one had heard from Moussaoui. With time running out, Sharafan purchased a ticket with the intention of being the fifth pilot. The time had come for operation Red Eagle.
On September 11, 2001, the day dawned clear and beautiful on the eastern coast of the United States. It was anything but a day for death. But death was coming.
In Portland, Maine, Atta and Omari began Red Eagle, boarding a plane for Boston at 6:00 a.m. When they arrived, Atta called Sharafan and Shehhi to firm up plans. Everything was going as scheduled. Sharafan had already contacted Hanjour who was at Dulles and Jarrah who was at Newark, waiting.
Atta would control American Airlines 11, Shehhi would take over United Airlines 175, while Moussaoui would command American Airlines 181.
In Newark, United Airlines 93 would be commandeered by Jarrah. Not far away at Dulles, Hanjour was ready for American Airlines 77.
All was in readiness except for one thing. Sharafan had still heard nothing from Moussaoui. He was fully prepared to take the position as the pilot. If everything went as planned, Atta would be the first to strike a blow against America when he hit New York’s North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Slowly, and one at a time, the men arrived for each flight. Everything appeared normal when Atta, Omari, Suqami, and Wail and Waleed Shehri boarded American Airlines 11. Wail and Waleed took their seats in first class, ready for their mission. Six rows back the other three waited. The aircraft pushed away from the gate at 7:40 a.m. Nineteen minutes later the plane was in the air.
United Airlines 175 rolled away at 8:00 a.m. with all five terrorists in place. Banihammad, Shehri, and Shehhi were secure in first class with Hamza and Ahmed Ghamdi only a few rows back. The aircraft was rolling down the runway and into the air at 8:14 a.m.
Casually Sharafan strolled toward his gate and the flight on American Airlines 181. Already he had spotted Ihab Ali. Soon Yazeed Aziz, Satam al Majid, and Abu Mombassa would arrive for the flight. Still he waited for Moussaoui, but if he didn’t arrive it didn’t matter because Sharafan now had a date with history. In the Dulles airport, five individuals made their way to their gate. Nothing appeared to be unusual as they entered American Airlines 77, bound for Los Angeles. Moqed and Mihdhar boarded the plane first, and were seated in row 12. A few minutes later Hanjour followed them and made his way to first class. Then the Hazmi brothers, Nawaf and Salem, arrived and took their first class seats four rows behind Hanjour. Like it did every morning, American Airlines 77 pushed away from the gate unaware of any danger, prepared for their normal 8:10 a.m. departure. The plane lifted from the runway at 8:20 a.m.
When United Airlines 93 pushed away from the gate, they were already behind schedule but all the men were in position. Jarrah, Nami, and Ghamdi were comfortably accommodated in the first three rows. Only three rows behind them sat Haznawi ready for action. The unsuspecting passenger airliner entered into the air at 8:42 a.m.
All nineteen men had managed to defeat all of the sophisticated security steps the FAA’s aviation security system had in place and which all truly believed would prevent any hijacking. How wrong they were.
Fifteen minutes after takeoff and after climbing to an altitude of 26,000 feet, the terrorists moved swiftly to take the plane. Wail and Waleed moved quickly, stabbing both of the first class flight attendants and pushing their way into the cockpit where Atta took the controls. A passenger tried to stop Omari, but Suqami stabbed him from behind.
They immediately filled the first-class with mace, making the passengers retreat to the back of the plane. They warned the travelers that they had a bomb and told them not to do anything. The passengers were under control, with no intention of doing anything. And why should they take action? All hijackers made demands, released passengers after their demands were met, and then would fly to a safe country.
At 8:21 Atta turned off the transponder and American Airlines 11 disappeared from radar, causing much confusion. Atta changed course. They had been in the air a little over twenty minutes.
Less than thirty minutes after being airborne, Banihammad and Shehhi moved into action to take United Airlines 175. They were followed closely by Shehri, with the others spraying mace. In a fit of rage, Banihammad and Shehri killed the protesting captain and co-pilot as Shehhi took over the controls. Ahmed Ghamdi stabbed one of the flight attendants then threatened the other passengers telling them there was a bomb. Again the passengers bent back in submission. This time the transponder was not turned off, but at 9:41 Shehhi managed to change the codes on the aircrafts’ device with the same devastating results. He quickly changed course for New York not far behind Atta.
American Airlines 77 had been in the air only thirty minutes when the attack commenced. They used knives, mace, and box cutters to move everyone out of first-class so Hanjour could take over the aircraft. Threats of a bomb quickly subdued the crew and passengers. At 8:56 Hanjour turned off the transponder and changed directions setting a course for Washington, D.C. and the Pentagon.
Timing had fallen off. First United Airlines 93 delayed on the ground and now the group hesitated, moving slowly before taking action. More than forty-five minutes into the flight they moved into play. The captain of the flight managed to radio in a “Mayday” before the aircraft was taken over. Things went rather smoothly and a few minutes later Jarrah was at the controls. After the transponder was turned off at 9:41, Jarrah also set a course for Washington, D.C. and his target: the Capitol building.
Skimming across the tops of the buildings in New York, American Airlines 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. History had changed and the initial crash began a new type of war no one had ever experienced before.
People on the ground gathered around to watch, as did spectators in the South Tower. Sixteen minutes later United Airlines 175 screamed across the skies, crashing into the South Tower with the same devastating results.
In Washington D.C., American Airlines 77 aimed initially toward the White House veered away and headed toward the Pentagon, dropping altitude quickly. With the Pentagon in view and at an altitude of 2000 feet, Hanjour aimed at the target like a huge missile the world had never seen before. With an air speed of 534 miles per hour, Hanjour crashed the aircraft into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.
Twenty-two minutes later the World Trade Center South Tower collapsed.
Cellular phones sabotaged Jarrah’s mission. Information was rolling in after the first three crashes. The passengers on United Airlines were using their phones and they all received the same message. They were sitting on a missile that was not going to land safely.
When the passengers attacked, Jarrah and Nami were forced into a defensive posture within the cabin. Jarrah tried vainly to stop the attack. He tipped to the left then the right and when that didn’t work he dove and then climbed. Still the passengers maintained their onslaught of the cabin. Jarrah knew he wouldn’t make his target. He asked Nami, “Shall we put it down?”