Editing Ramzi bin al-Shibh (section)

==Connections to 9/11 attacks==
In late 1999, bin al-Shibh traveled to [[Kandahar]] in [[Afghanistan]], where he received training at [[al-Qaeda]] camps and met others involved in planning the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref name="bbc"/>

Original plans for the 9/11 attacks called for bin al-Shibh to be one of the hijacker pilots, along with three other members of the [[Hamburg cell]], including [[Mohamed Atta]], [[Marwan al-Shehhi]], and [[Ziad Jarrah]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Perfect Soldiers |url=https://archive.org/details/perfectsoldiersh00mcde |url-access=registration |author=McDermott, Terry |publisher=Harper |year=2005|isbn=9780060584702 }}</ref> From Hamburg, bin al-Shibh applied to take flight training in the United States. At that time, he also applied to Aviation Language Services, which provides language training for student pilots.<ref name="moussaoui-march7">[http://cryptome.org/usa-v-zm-030706-02.htm ''Zacarias Moussauoi v. the United States''], trial testimony on March 7, 2006.</ref> Bin al-Shibh applied four times for an entry visa to the United States and was refused each time. He made visa applications in Germany on May 17, 2000, and again in June, on September 16, and October 25, 2000.<ref name="indictment2"/><ref name="moussaoui-march7"/>

According to the [[9/11 Commission]], this refusal of a visa was motivated by general concern by U.S. officials at the time that people from Yemen, which was struggling economically, would illegally overstay their visit and seek work in the United States. His friend, [[Zakariyah Essabar]], was also denied visas. After failing to gain a visa to enter the United States, bin al-Shibh took on a "coordinator" role in the plot, serving as a link between Atta in the United States and [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]] in [[Afghanistan]].<ref name="lateline">{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/stories/s689774.htm |title=Al-Jazeera reporter speaks on terrorist plans |date=September 30, 2002 |publisher=Lateline / ABC (Australia) |access-date=March 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112034542/http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/stories/s689774.htm |archive-date=November 12, 2007 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref name="cbs-20030305">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-mastermind/ |title=The Mastermind|first=Mary-Jayne|last=McKay|date=March 5, 2003 |publisher=CBS News |access-date=March 25, 2007 |archive-date=October 20, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021020210145/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/09/60II/main524947.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Bin al-Shibh was the first to be publicly identified by the United States as the "[[20th hijacker]]," someone who was thought to have been tasked to fill out the single missing slot among the four terrorist five-person teams. This spot was never filled. [[United Airlines Flight 93]] had four hijackers, not five, which is believed in part to have led to the success of the passenger revolt ⁠ ⁠—  the crash of the plane near [[Shanksville]], [[Pennsylvania]] was likely caused by the passengers.

Al-Shibh interacted extensively with the hijackers. In August 2000, [[Ziad Jarrah]] tried to enroll bin al-Shibh in a [[Florida]] flight school.<ref name="indictment2"/> Bin al-Shibh sent money via [[wire transfer]] on September 25, 2000, to [[Marwan al-Shehhi]] in Florida.<ref name="indictment2"/> In August 2001, bin al-Shibh sent approximately $14,000 to [[Zacarias Moussaoui]], using the alias ''Ahad Sabet'',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/07/inv.moussaoui.stolen.id/index.html |title=Motion: 9/11 conspiracy suspect may have used ID of Arizona doctor|first=Phil|last=Hirschkorn|date=August 7, 2002 |publisher=CNN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111124454/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/07/inv.moussaoui.stolen.id/index.html |archive-date=November 11, 2007  }}</ref> a few days after receiving transfer of $15,000 from [[Mustafa al-Hawsawi|Hashim Abdulrahman]] in the [[United Arab Emirates]].<ref name="indictment2"/>

According to the [[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] reporter [[Yosri Fouda]]'s documentary, ''Top Secret: The Road to September 11'', three weeks prior to the attacks, [[Saeed al-Ghamdi]] is believed to have used the name "Abdul Rahman" to message bin al-Shibh online (who was posing as a girlfriend), writing a reference to two military/governmental targets and two civilian targets, 19 hijackers and 4 hijacked planes:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/09/12/alqaeda.911.claim/index.html|title=Al-Jazeera offers accounts of 9/11 planning|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060220124318/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/09/12/alqaeda.911.claim/index.html |archive-date= 2006-02-20|work= [[CNN]]|date=September 12, 2012}}</ref>

<blockquote>The first semester commences in three weeks. Two high schools and two universities. ... This summer will surely be hot ...19 certificates for private education and four exams. Regards to the professor. Goodbye.</blockquote>

Bin al-Shibh later said that [[Mohamed Atta]] had phoned him on the morning of August 29 to give a similar coded message revealing the date of the attacks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0209/14/smn.09.html|title=CNN.com - Transcripts|website=transcripts.cnn.com}}</ref>