GERMANY: HIJACKERS SUSPECTED OF PILOTING SECOND JET INTO WORLD TRADE CENTRE TOOK TEST FLIGHTS IN GERMANY

Record ID: 647550

  • Title: GERMANY: HIJACKERS SUSPECTED OF PILOTING SECOND JET INTO WORLD TRADE CENTRE TOOK TEST FLIGHTS IN GERMANY
  • Date: 10th October 2001
  • Summary: (U5)ST. AUGUSTIN, GERMANY (OCTOBER 9, 2001) (REUTERS) 1. SLV EXTERIOR TOWER OF BONN-HANGELAR AIRPORT IN ST. AUGUSTIN OUTSIDE BONN 0.05 2. AV COMMERCIAL PLANE IN AIR, PULLOUT TO SMALL PRIVATE PLANES PARKED NEAR RUNWAY 0.18 3. SLV LIGHT AIRCRAFT PARKED IN GRASS 0.23 4. SLV LIGHT AIRCRAFTTAXIING, PAN TO DANGER SIGN 0.35 5. SOUNDBITE (German) ULLA GROTE, SPOKESWOMAN FOR ALBATROS AIR, SAYING "It was probably a sightseeing flight, or (Al-Shehhi) was a guest of someone, which happens here on a daily basis. People who have a plane here often take paying guests along to finance their flights." 0.50 6. SCU PAMPHLETS ON DISPLAY 0.55 7. SOUNDBITE (German) ULLA GROTE, SPOKESWOMAN FOR ALBATROS AIR, SAYING "Such sightseeing flights here in Hangelar happen all the time. There is no way we know what people have in mind. Albatros Air does train pilots, but in this case, it was not a training flight from Albatros Air. In order to take part in training, you have to fulfill certain criteria, but as far as I know, it never even got that far." 1.22 8. SCU FORM 1.27 9. AV LIGHT AIRCRAFT IN AIR 1.33 10. SLV LIGHT AIRCRAFT TAXIING AND OTHERS PARKED IN GRASS (2 SHOTS) 1.48 (U5)MECKENHEIM, GERMANY (OCTOBER 8, 2001) (REUTERS) 11. SCU OFFICIAL FROM GERMAN FEDERAL CRIMINAL POLICE (BKA) PUTTING UP WANTED POSTER AT BKA BRANCH OFFICE IN MECKENHEIM NEAR BONN 1.54 12. SCU PAN ACROSS PHOTOGRAPHS OF WANTED POSTER, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: RAMZI MOHAMED ABDULLAH BINALSHIBH (FIRST PHOTOGRAPH) AND SAID BAHAJI (PHOTOGRAPHS 2 AND 3, WITHOUT BEARD AND WITH BEARD) (2 SHOTS) 2.12 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 25th October 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ST. AUGUSTIN AND MECKENHEIM, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVABF4TOOLRKMQ6CTWKBDAOGFJ39
  • Story Text: The hijacker suspected of piloting the second jet into
    the World Trade Center took test flights in Germany before
    starting U.S. training, officials have said.

    Ulla Grote, a spokeswoman for Albatros Air near Bonn,
    told Reuters Television on Tuesday (October 9) Marwan
    Al-Shehhi had taken sightseeing flights over the former German
    capital, but said he had not received any flight instruction.

    "Such sightseeing flights here in Hangelar happen all the
    time. There is no way we know what people have in mind.

    Albatros Air does train pilots, but in this case, it was
    not a training flight. In order to take part in training, you
    have to fulfill certain criteria, but as far as I know, it
    never even got that far," Grote said.

    Al-Shehhi and two other Middle Eastern students who lived
    in Hamburg, Mohamed Atta and Ziad Samir Jarrah, are believed
    to have piloted the two planes that destroyed the World Trade
    Center and a third jet that crashed in Pennsylvania.

    Al-Shehhi studied in Bonn using a false name between 1997
    and 1999. He later moved to Hamburg to study electronics and
    was one of Attas roommates.

    Germany's Federal Criminal Police force said on Monday
    (October 8) it would post 26,000 wanted posters across the
    country for another of Al-Shehhis Hamburg roommates, Ramzi
    Mohamed Abdullah Binalshibh, and Said Bahaji, who paid the
    rent on the apartment.

    Atta, Al-Shehhi, Jarrah and several other plotters learned
    how to fly in the United States starting a year or two ahead
    of the September 11 attacks.


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