All 19 hijackers were al-Qaeda members, divided among the four planes. Here's a look at who they were and who else was involved in planning the attacks.

Updated on: Sep 11, 2026, 20:21:55 IST

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Twenty years ago on this day (September 11, 2001), al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four US passenger planes and crashed two of them into two New York skyscrapers and one into the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people in the US. Led by Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda planned the operation from Afghanistan, blaming the US and allied involvement for conflicts in the Muslim world.

Nineteen hijackers carried out the September 11 attacks, including 15 from Saudi Arabia. Out of the four, one plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers tried to regain control of the plane and rushed the cockpit. The attacks claimed the lives of 2,977 people.

Thousands more were injured, while many others developed health problems linked to the attacks in the years that followed. Among them were firefighters who worked through the toxic debris left behind.

Who was responsible for the 9/11 attacks?

All 19 hijackers were members of al-Qaeda and were divided among the four planes. Fifteen came from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt, and one from Lebanon.

The operation was orchestrated by al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, who targeted the US over its support for Israel, role in the Persian Gulf War and the continued presence of its military in West Asia.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a member of the group, allegedly came up with the plan and helped find and recruit the men who would fly the planes. Some of the pilots later received training in the US.

Here’s the full list of 19 hijackers responsible for the attack:

1. American Airlines Flight 11

• Mohamed Atta, Egypt (Pilot)
• Wail al Shehri, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)
• Waleed al Shehri, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)
• Satam al Suqami, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)
• Abdulaziz al Omari, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)

2. United Airlines Flight 175

• Marwan al-Shehhi, UAE (Pilot)
• Fayez Banihammad, UAE (Hijacker)
• Ahmed al Ghamdi, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)
• Hamza al Ghamdi, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)
• Mohand al Shehri, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)

3. American Airlines Flight 77

• Hani Hanjour, Saudi Arabia (Pilot)
• Nawaf al Hazmi, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)
• Khalid al Mihdhar, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)
• Majed Moqed, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)
• Salem al Hazmi, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)

4. United Airlines Flight 93

• Ziad Jarrah, Lebanon (Pilot)
• Saeed al Ghamdi, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)
• Ahmad al Haznawi, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)
• Ahmed al Nami, Saudi Arabia (Hijacker)

The 9/11 conspirators and where they are now

Osama bin Laden

The US launched its invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, ousting the Taliban from power and forcing al-Qaeda out of the base it had established there.

He remained at large for about a decade and continued to release messages from hiding. US special forces eventually tracked him to a compound in Pakistan’s Abbottabad, where he was killed during a raid in 2011.

Ayman al-Zawahiri

He worked with Osama bin Laden to plan the 9/11 attacks and was later among the most wanted terrorists by the US. The Egyptian doctor became al-Qaeda's leader after bin Laden was killed in 2011.

The US killed Zawahiri in a drone strike in Afghanistan in 2022.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has described himself as the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, was captured in Pakistan in 2003.

He is accused of planning and overseeing the operation to hijack commercial aircraft and crash them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

In 2007, Mohammed said he planned the attack "from A to Z", according to a transcript of a military hearing later released by the Pentagon.

He was ultimately sent to the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where he has remained.

He was eventually transferred to the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where he remains in custody.

Proceedings against Mohammed over his alleged involvement in the September 11 attacks have been delayed for years. One of the key issues has been whether his treatment while held by the US could affect the use of evidence in the case.

In January 2025, Mohammed and two other defendants were expected to plead guilty in return for life sentences without parole, which would have spared them the death penalty. The agreement was dropped in July 2025 after objections from the US government.

His trial, along with that of three co-accused, is now scheduled for June 2028.

Walid bin Attash

Walid bin Attash is accused of teaching two of the hijackers how to fight at close range, including how to use box cutters while taking control of the aircraft.

He remains in US custody and is among the four defendants due to face trial alongside Mohammed in 2028.

Ramzi bin al-Shibh

Ramzi bin al-Shibh is accused of helping recruit some of the hijackers who were part of a cell based in Hamburg, Germany. He is also accused of acting as a link between lead hijacker Mohammed Atta and al-Qaeda's senior leadership.

His case was separated from Mohammed's in 2023 after a military judge found him mentally unfit to face trial.

Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Ammar al-Baluchi

Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Ammar al-Baluchi, who is the nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are both accused of arranging money transfers for some of the hijackers.

Both are due to stand trial alongside Mohammed in 2028.

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