Salem Al-Hazmi - Mistaken Identity

Mistaken Identity

Shortly after the attacks, several sources reported that Salem al-Hazmi, 26, was alive and working at a petrochemical plant in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. He claimed that his passport had been stolen by a pickpocket in Cairo three years before, and that the pictures and details such as date of birth released to the public by the FBI were his own. He also stated that he had never visited the United States, but volunteered to fly to the U.S. to prove his innocence. On September 19, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat published his photograph alongside Badr Alhazmi's, whom they claimed was the actual hijacker who had stolen his identity.

Muhammad Salim al-Hazmi, father of the two suspects, Nawaf and Salim Muhammad al-Hazmi, said that the published photos may be doctored or faked somehow. Hazmi continued, "As a father, I have a feeling that the two of them are still alive and unhurt, and will come back home in the near future when the truth is uncovered and the real culprits are found."

After some confusion and doubt Saudi Arabia admitted that in fact the names of the hijackers were correct. "The names that we got confirmed that," Interior Minister Prince Nayef said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Their families have been notified." Nayef said the Saudi leadership was shocked to learn 15 of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia and said it was natural that the kingdom had not noticed their involvement beforehand.