Summary
Overview
This episode examines the final months before 9/11, from summer 2001 through September 10th. It details how Mohammed Atta orchestrated the final preparations, selecting specific flights and setting the date of September 11th. The episode explores the spiritual and practical preparations of the hijackers, the growing but vague intelligence warnings that went unheeded, and the disturbing mindset of men preparing for what they believed was martyrdom. The plot transforms from concept to countdown as 19 hijackers position themselves across America, spiritually prepared for an act they viewed as worship rather than murder.
Final Operational Preparations and Pilot Training
By July 2001, the 9/11 plot was nearly complete except for setting a date. The four pilots—Atta, Shehhi, Jarrah, and Hani Hanjour—were frantically training on flight simulators and logging hours, while the muscle hijackers remained low-profile. Atta had an extensive checklist including scheduling attacks, coordinating with arriving muscle operatives, and ensuring the timing would be tight enough that planes wouldn't be grounded between strikes. The pilots faced varying levels of competency, with Hanjour being particularly poor but deemed acceptable since they only needed to steer in flight, not take off or land.
- Four pilots in the US: Atta (mastermind), Shehhi, Jarrah, and Hani Hanjour, who are the most valuable pieces of the plot
- Muscle hijackers lying low, opening bank accounts and going to gyms to stay off radar
- Atta needs to log simulator time, study how to board planes, work with muscle, and crucially schedule the attacks with tight timing
- Hanjour was such a poor pilot that instructors advised him to quit and staff wondered if his FAA license was forged
- Pilots only needed to learn how to steer in flight, not take off or land—a crucial giveaway that this was different from normal hijacking
" How do you set the date for the day the world changes? "
" Pretty much any clear day, if you have a licensed private pilot with a little simulator time, they'd be able to fly a jet into a large building. "
Jarrah's Doubts and the Backup Pilot
Ziad Jarrah, the Lebanese pilot who had a girlfriend in Germany, appeared to be the weakest link among the hijackers, showing signs of doubt and strain under Atta's authority. His multiple trips to see his girlfriend and his father's heart operation rattled him. KSM grew so concerned that Jarrah might withdraw that he began preparing Zacarias Moussaoui as a substitute pilot, funneling him $15,000 for Boeing 747 simulator training in Minnesota. After an emotional conversation with bin al-Shibh in Germany during a one-way trip home, Jarrah was convinced to continue and returned to the United States.
- Jarrah was straining against Atta's authority and KSM grew worried he might withdraw from the plot
- KSM began preparing Zacarias Moussaoui as backup pilot, giving him $15,000 for Boeing 747 simulator training in Minnesota
- Jarrah's girlfriend bought him a one-way ticket to Germany on July 20th; all previous trips had been round-trip
- Atta himself drove Jarrah to the airport, which was unusual and hadn't happened before
- Jarrah had an 'emotional conversation' with bin al-Shibh in Germany that convinced him to go through with the plot
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