Mohamed Atta
Born	Mohamed Atta (in Arabic: محمد عطا) (1968-09-01)September 1, 1968 Kafr el-Sheikh, Egypt
Died	September 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 33) Manhattan, New York, United States
Nationality	Egyptian
Alma mater	Cairo University Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg
Religion	Sunni Islam (Qutbism)

Mohamed Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta (Arabic: محمد محمد الأمير عوض السيد عطا‎, Muḥammad Muḥammad al-Āmir ‘Awaḍ as-Sayyid ‘Aṭā) (September 1, 1968 – September 11, 2001) was an Egyptian hijacker and one of the ringleaders of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, crashing the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the coordinated attacks.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Born in 1968 in a small town in Egypt's Nile Delta, Atta moved with his family to the Abdeen section of Cairo at the age of 10. Atta studied architecture at Cairo University, graduating in 1990, and continued his studies in Hamburg, Germany at the Technical University of Hamburg. In Hamburg, Atta became involved with the al-Quds Mosque, where he met Marwan al-Shehhi, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, and Ziad Jarrah, together forming the Hamburg cell. Atta disappeared from Germany for periods of time, spending some time in Afghanistan, including several months in late 1999 and early 2000 when he met Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaeda leaders. Atta and the other Hamburg cell members were recruited by bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for the "planes operation" in the United States. Atta returned to Hamburg in February 2000, and began inquiring about flight training in the United States.

Atta arrived in the United States, together with Marwan al-Shehhi, in June 2000. Both ended up in Venice Florida at Huffman Aviation where they entered the Accelerated Pilot Program. Atta and Shehhi obtained instrument ratings in November 2000, and continued training on simulators and flight training. Beginning in May 2001, Atta assisted with the arrival of the muscle hijackers. In July 2001, Atta traveled to Spain where he met with bin al-Shibh to exchange information and finalize the plot. In August, Atta traveled on surveillance flights to determine details on how the attacks could be carried out.

In early September 2001, Atta traveled to Maryland, where fellow hijacker Hani Hanjour was at the time. Atta then traveled to Boston, and on September 10, with Abdulaziz al-Omari to Portland, Maine. On the morning of September 11, Atta and Omari traveled on Colgan Air back to Boston, where they boarded American Airlines Flight 11. Fifteen minutes into the flight, the team of hijackers attacked and Atta took over control of the aircraft. At 8:46 a.m., Atta crashed the Boeing 767 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.^[6]

Aliases[link]

Mohamed Atta varied his name on documents, also using "Mehan Atta", "Mohammad El Amir", "Muhammad Atta", "Mohamed El Sayed", "Mohamed Elsayed", "Muhammad al-Amir", "Awag Al Sayyid Atta", "Muhammad al-Amir", and "Awad Al Sayad".^[7] In Germany, he registered his name as "Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta", and went by the name, "Mohamed el-Amir" at the Technical University of Hamburg.^[8] In his will, written in 1996, Atta gives his name as "Mohamed the son of Mohamed Elamir awad Elsayed."^[9] When he came to the United States, he used the name "Mohamed Atta." Atta also claimed different nationalities, sometimes Egyptian and other times told people that he was from the United Arab Emirates.^[8]

Early life[link]

Atta was born on September 1, 1968 in Kafr el-Sheikh, located in Egypt's Nile delta region.^[8] His father, Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta, was a lawyer, educated in both sharia and civil law. His mother, Bouthayna Mohamed Mustapha Sheraqi, came from a wealthy farming and trading family and was also educated. Bouthayna and Mohamed married when she was 14, via an arranged marriage. The family had few relatives on the father's side and kept a distance from Bouthayna's family. In-laws characterized Atta's father as "austere, strict, and private," and neighbors considered the family reclusive.^[10] Atta was the only son, but he had two older sisters who are both well-educated and successful in their careers—one as a medical doctor and the other as a professor.^[11]

When Atta was ten, his family moved to the Cairo neighborhood of Abdeen, located near the center of the city. Atta's father continued to keep the family private, and did not allow Atta to socialize with other neighborhood kids. Atta spent most of his time at home studying, excelling in school.^[12][13] In 1985, Atta entered Cairo University, where he studied engineering. As one of the highest-scoring students, Atta was admitted into the very selective architecture program during his senior year. In addition to his regular courses, Atta studied English at the American University in Cairo.^[14] In 1990, Atta graduated with a degree in architecture,^[15] and joined the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Engineers Syndicate organization.^[8] For several months after graduating, Atta worked at the Urban Development Center in Cairo, where he worked on architectural, planning, and building design.^[16] In 1990, Atta's family moved into an 11th floor apartment in Giza.^[15][17]

Germany[link]

Upon graduating from Cairo University, Atta's marks were average and insufficient to be accepted into the University's graduate program. His father insisted he go abroad for graduate studies, and had Atta enroll in a German language program at the Goethe Institute in Cairo.^[18] In 1992, Atta's father invited a German couple over for dinner while they were visiting Cairo. The German couple ran an exchange program between Germany and Egypt, and suggested that Atta continue his studies in Germany. They offered him a temporary place to live at their house in the city. Mohamed Atta ended up in Germany two weeks later, in July 1992.

In Germany, Atta enrolled in the urban planning graduate program at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg.^[11] Atta initially stayed with the two high school teachers, but they found Atta frustrating owing to his closed-mindedness and intensely introverted personality. Atta also began adhering to a strict Islamic diet, frequented the mosque, seldom socialized, and was unfriendly towards the couple's unmarried daughter who had a young child. After six months, they asked him to move out.^[19][20][21]

By early 1993, Atta had moved into university housing, sharing an apartment in Centrumshaus with two roommates. He remained at Centrumshaus until 1998. During that time, his roommates became aggravated with Atta, who seldom cleaned, and kept to himself to the extent that he would walk in and out of a room without acknowledging others. Beyond anything else, they could not deal with Atta's personality, described as "complete, almost aggressive insularity".^[22]

Academic studies[link]

At the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, Atta studied under the guidance of the department chair, Dittmar Machule, who specialized in the Middle East.^[23] Atta was concerned about modern development and the construction of high-rise buildings in Cairo and other ancient cities in the Middle East. He believed that the large, impersonal, and often ugly apartment blocks built in the 1960s and 1970s had ruined old neighborhoods, and took away privacy and dignity from people. Atta's own family moved into such an apartment block in 1990, which to him was "a shabby symbol of Egypt's haphazard attempts to modernize and its shameless embrace of the West."^[15] For his thesis, Atta focused his studies on the ancient city of Aleppo in Syria. He explored the history of Aleppo's urban landscapes and the general themes of the conflict between Arab civilization and modernity. Atta criticized how the modern skyscrapers and development projects in Aleppo were disrupting the fabric of that city by blocking community streets and altering the skyline.

In 1994, Atta's professor, Dittmar Machule, invited him to Aleppo for a three-day archaeological visit.^[24] Atta ended up spending several weeks in Aleppo during August 1994, and visited again that December.^[25] While in Syria, he met Amal, a young Palestinian woman, who worked there in the planning bureau. Volker Hauth, who was traveling with Atta, described Amal as "attractive and self-confident. She observed the Muslim niceties, taking taxis to and from the office so as not to come into close physical contact with men on the buses. But, she was 'emancipated' and 'challenging'." They appeared to be attracted to one another, but Atta regretfully explained to Hauth that, "she had a quite different orientation and that the emancipation of the young lady did not fit." This was the closest thing to romance for Atta.^[8] During the summer of 1995, Atta spent three months with co-students Volker Hauth and Ralph Bodenstein in Cairo, on a grant from the Carl Duisberg Society. They looked at the effects of redevelopment in the Islamic Cairo old quarter which the government wanted to develop for tourism. Atta remained in Cairo to stay with his family, after Hauth and Bodenstein returned to Germany.^[26][27]

The apartment Atta, Bahaji, and bin al-Shibh shared from 1998 until 2001 in Marienstraße, Hamburg, Germany. (The door is visible on the left side - No. 54)

While in Hamburg, Atta held a number of jobs, including a part-time position at Plankontor, an urban planning firm, from 1992 until the summer of 1997 when he was laid off. The firm's business had declined, and when it bought a CAD system, "his draughtsmanship was not needed."^[8][28] Atta also worked at a cleaning firm, and buying and selling cars to earn extra money.^[29] After studying in Hamburg, Atta wanted to return to Cairo to work, but there were few job prospects, as his family did not have the "right connections."^[30][31] Atta was also concerned about actions of the Egyptian government in arresting political activists, and feared that he too would be a target due to his social and political beliefs.^[32]

Islamic revival[link]

After coming to Hamburg in 1992, Atta became more religious, frequently attending the mosque.^[33] Atta's friends in Germany described him as an intelligent man with religious beliefs, along with political motivations, including anger at U.S. policy toward the Middle East, particularly the Oslo Accords and the Gulf War.^[34][35] Atta was also enraged by Egypt's ruling elite, and the Egyptian government's crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members.^[36]

Atta went back to Egypt on August 1, 1995, for three months of study.^[37] Before going to Egypt, he grew a beard, which is a sign of a devout Muslim, but was also seen as a political gesture.^[29][38] Atta returned to Hamburg on October 31, 1995,^[37] and joined the pilgrimage to Mecca that fall.^[29]

In Hamburg, Atta was drawn to al-Quds Mosque, which adhered to a "harsh, uncompromisingly fundamentalist, and resoundingly militant" version of Sunni Islam.^[39] He made acquaintances at al-Quds, some who came over to visit him at Centrumshaus. Atta also began teaching classes at Al-Quds, as well as at a Turkish mosque near Harburg. Atta also formed a prayer group, which Ahmed Maklat and Mounir El Motassadeq joined. Ramzi bin al-Shibh was also there teaching occasional classes, and became a good friend of Atta's.^[40]

On April 11, 1996, Atta signed his last will and testament at the mosque, officially declaring his Muslim beliefs and giving 18 instructions regarding his burial.^[9][14] This was the day that Israel attacked Lebanon in Operation Grapes of Wrath, which outraged Atta. Signing the will, "offering his life" was Atta's response.^[41] The instructions in his last will and testament reflect both Sunni funeral practices, along with some more puritanical demands from Wahhabism, including asking people not "to weep and cry" or show emotion. The will was signed by el-Motassadeq and a second individual at the mosque.^[42]

After leaving Plankontor in the summer of 1997, Atta disappeared again and did not return until 1998. Atta phoned his graduate advisor in 1998, after a year of doing nothing for his thesis, telling Machule that he had family problems at home and said, “Please understand, I don’t want to talk about this.”^[43][44] At the winter break in 1997, Atta left and did not return to Hamburg for three months. He said that he went on pilgrimage to Mecca again, just 18 months after his first time. Terry McDermott explained in Perfect Soldiers that it is highly unusual and unlikely for someone, especially a young student, to go on Hajj again that soon. Also, three months is an exceptionally long time, much longer than what Hajj requires. When Atta returned, he claimed that his passport was lost and got a new one, which is a common tactic to erase evidence of travel to places such as Afghanistan.^[45] When he returned in spring 1998, after disappearing for several months, he had grown a thick long beard, and "seemed more serious and aloof" to those who knew him.^[29]

By mid-1998, Atta was no longer eligible for university housing in Centrumshaus. He left and moved into a nearby apartment in Wilhelmsburg, where he lived with Said Bahaji and Ramzi bin al-Shibh. By early 1999, Atta had completed his thesis, and formally defended it in August 1999.^[44]

In mid-1998, Atta worked alongside Shehhi, bin al-Shibh, and Belfas, at a warehouse, packing computers in crates for shipping.^[46] The Hamburg group did not stay in Wilhelmsburg for long. The next winter, they moved into an apartment at Marienstrasse 54, near the university in Harburg.^[47] It was here that the Hamburg cell developed and acted more as a group.^[48] They met three or four times a week to discuss their anti-American feelings and to plot possible attacks. Many al-Qaeda members lived in this apartment at various times, including hijacker Marwan al-Shehhi, Zakariya Essabar, and others.

In late 1999, Atta, Shehhi, Jarrah, Bahaji, and bin al-Shibh decided to travel to Chechnya to fight against the Russians, but were convinced by Khalid al-Masri and Mohamedou Ould Slahi at the last minute to change their plans. They instead traveled to Afghanistan over a two-week period in late November. On November 29, 1999, Mohamed Atta boarded Turkish Airlines Flight TK1662 from Hamburg to Istanbul, where he changed to flight TK1056 to Karachi, Pakistan.^[3] When they arrived, they were spotted by Al Qaeda leader Abu Hafs as suitable candidates for the "planes operation" plot. They were all well-educated, had experience of living in western society, along with some English skills, and would be able to obtain visas.^[41] Even before bin al-Shibh had arrived, Atta, Shehhi, and Jarrah were sent to the House of Ghamdi near bin Laden’s home in Kandahar, where he was waiting to meet them. Bin Laden asked them to pledge loyalty and commit to suicide missions, which Atta and the other three Hamburg men all accepted. Bin Laden sent them to see Mohammed Atef to get a general overview of the mission, and then they were sent to Karachi to see Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to go over specifics.^[49]

German investigators said that they had evidence that Mohamed Atta trained at al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan from late 1999 to early 2000. The timing of the Afghanistan training was outlined on August 23, 2002 by a senior investigator. The investigator, Klaus Ulrich Kersten, director of Germany's federal anticrime agency, the Bundeskriminalamt, provided the first official confirmation that Atta and two other pilots had been in Afghanistan and the first dates of the training. Kersten said in an interview at the agency's headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, that Atta was in Afghanistan from late 1999 until early 2000,^[50][51] and evidence that Atta met with Osama bin Laden while there.^[52]

A video surfaced in October 2006 which showed bin Laden at Tarnak Farms on January 8, 2000, and also showed Atta together with Ziad Jarrah reading their wills ten days later on January 18, 2000.^[3][53] On his return journey, Atta left Karachi on February 24, 2000 by flight TK1057 to Istanbul where he changed to flight TK1661 to Hamburg.^[3] Immediately after returning to Germany, Atta, Shehhi, and Jarrah reported their passports stolen, possibly to erase travel visas to Afghanistan.^[54]

In the United States[link]

On March 22, 2000, while still in Germany, Mohamed Atta sent an e-mail to the Academy of Lakeland in Florida, inquiring about flight training, "Dear sir, we are a small group of young men from different Arab countries. Now we are living in Germany since a while for study purposes. We would like to start training for the career of airline professional pilots. In this field we haven't yet any knowledge but we are ready to undergo an intensive training program (up to ATP and eventually higher)." Atta sent 50–60 similar e-mails to other flight training schools in the United States.^[55]

On May 17, Mohamed Atta applied for a United States visa, receiving a five-year B-1/B-2 (tourist/business) visa the next day from the United States embassy in Berlin. Because Atta had lived in Germany for approximately five years, along with his "strong record as a student", he was treated more leniently and not scrutinized.^[56] After obtaining his visa, Atta took a bus on June 2 from Germany to Prague where he stayed overnight before traveling on to the United States the next day. Bin al-Shibh later explained that they believed it would contribute to operational security for Atta to fly out of Prague instead of Hamburg, where he traveled from previously. Likewise, Shehhi traveled from a different location, in his case via Brussels.^[57][58]

On June 6, 2002, ABC World News Tonight broadcast an interview with Johnelle Bryant, former loan officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in South Florida, who told about her strange encounter with Mohamed Atta. This encounter took place “around the third week of April to the third week of May of 2000”, that is before Atta’s official entry date into the United States (see below). According to Ms. Bryant, Atta wanted to finance the purchase of a crop-duster. "He wanted to finance a twin-engine, six-passenger aircraft and remove the seats," Bryant told ABC's "World News Tonight. He insisted that she write his name as ATTA, that he originally was from Egypt but had actually moved to Afghanistan, that he was an engineer and that his dream was to go to a flight school. He asked about the Pentagon and the White House. He said he wanted to visit the World Trade Center and asked Ms. Bryant about the security there. He mentioned Al Qaeda and said the organisation “could use memberships from Americans”. He mentioned Osama bin Laden and said “this man would someday be known as the world's greatest leader.” Ms. Bryant said “the picture that came out in the newspaper, that's exactly what that man looked like.” ^[59][60] Ms. Bryant contacted the authorities after recognising Atta in news reports.^[61] Law-enforcement officials said Bryant passed a lie-detector exam.^[62]

According to official reports, Atta arrived on June 3, 2000 at Newark International Airport from Prague. That month, Atta and Shehhi stayed in hotels and rented rooms in New York City on a short-term basis. They continued to inquire about flight schools and personally visited some, including Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma, which they visited on July 3, 2000. Days later, Shehhi and Atta ended up in Venice Florida (On the Gulf Coast of South Florida).^[16] Atta and Shehhi established accounts at SunTrust Bank and received wire transfers from Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's nephew in the United Arab Emirates.^[16][57] On July 6, 2000, Atta and Shehhi enrolled at Huffman Aviation in Venice, Florida, where they entered the Accelerated Pilot Program, while Ziad Jarrah took flight training from a different school also based out of Venice.^[16] When Atta and Shehhi arrived in Florida, they initially stayed with Huffman's bookkeeper and his wife in a spare room of their house. After a week, they were asked to leave because they were rude. Atta and Shehhi then moved into a small house nearby in Nokomis where they stayed for six months.^[63][64]

Atta began flight training on July 7, 2000 and continued training nearly every day. By the end of July 2000, both Atta and Shehhi did solo flights. Atta earned his private pilot certificate in September, and then he and Shehhi decided to switch flight schools. Both enrolled at Jones Aviation in Sarasota and took training there for a brief time. They had problems following instructions and were both very upset when they failed their Stage 1 exam at Jones Aviation. They inquired about multi-engine planes and told the instructor that "they wanted to move quickly, because they had a job waiting in their country upon completion of their training in the U.S." In mid-October, Atta and Shehhi returned to Huffman Aviation to continue training. In November 2000, Atta earned his instrument rating, and then a commercial pilot's license in December from the Federal Aviation Administration.^[16]

Atta continued with flight training, including solo flights and simulator time. On December 22, Atta and Shehhi applied to Eagle International for large jet and simulator training for McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 737–300 models. On December 26, Atta and Shehhi abandoned a Piper Cherokee on the runway of Miami International Airport. On December 29 and 30, Atta and Marwan went to the Opa-locka Airport where they practiced on a Boeing 727 simulator, and they obtained Boeing 767 simulator training from Pan Am International on December 31. Atta purchased flight deck videos for Boeing 747–200, Boeing 757–200, Airbus A320 and Boeing 767-300ER models via mail-order from Sporty's Pilot Shop in Batavia, Ohio in November and December 2000.^[16]

Atta's cellphone was recorded phoning the Moroccan embassy in Washington on January 2, just before Shehhi flew to the country. Atta flew to Spain on January 4, 2001 to coordinate with bin al-Shibh and returned to the United States on January 10. While in the United States he traveled to Lawrenceville, Georgia, where he and Shehhi attended a LA Fitness Health Club. During that time Atta flew out of Briscoe Field in Lawrenceville with a pilot, and Atta and either the pilot or Shehhi flew around the Atlanta area. They lived in the area for several months. On April 3, Atta and Shehhi rented a postal box in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

On April 11, Atta and Shehhi rented an apartment at 10001 Atlantic Blvd, Apt. 122 in Coral Springs, Florida for $840 per month,^[65] and assisted with the arrival of the muscle hijackers. On April 16 Atta was given a citation for not having a valid driver's license, and began steps to get one. On May 2, Atta received his driver's license in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. While in the United States, Atta owned a red 1989 Pontiac Grand Prix.^[66]

On June 27, Atta flew from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, Massachusetts, where he spent a day, and then continued to San Francisco for a short time, and from there to Las Vegas. On June 28, Atta arrived at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas to meet with the three other pilots. He rented a Chevrolet Malibu from an Alamo Rent A Car agency. It is not known where he stayed that night, but on the 29th he registered at the EconoLodge at 1150 South Las Vegas Boulevard. Here he presented an AAA membership for a discount, and paid cash for the $49.50/night room. During his trip to Las Vegas, he is thought to have used a video camera that he had rented from a Select Photo outlet back in Delray Beach, Florida.^[67]

July 2001 summit in Spain[link]

Atta left again in July 2001 for Spain to meet with bin al-Shibh for the last time. On July 7, 2001, Atta flew on Swissair Flight 117 from Miami to Zürich, where he had a stopover.^[68] On July 8, Atta was recorded withdrawing 1700 Swiss francs from an ATM, and using his credit card to purchase two Swiss Army knives and some chocolate in an airport shop in Zurich.^[69] After the stopover in Zurich, he arrived in Madrid at 4:45 pm on Swissair Flight 656, and spent several hours at the airport. Then at 8:50 pm, he checked into the Hotel Diana Cazadora in Barajas, a town near the airport. That night and twice the next morning, he called Bashar Ahmad Ali Musleh, a Jordanian student in Hamburg who served as a liaison for bin al-Shibh.^[70]

On the morning of July 9, Mohamed Atta rented a silver Hyundai Accent, which he booked from SIXT Rent-A-Car for July 9 to 16, and later extended to the 19th.^[70][71] He drove east out of Madrid towards the Mediterranean beach area of Tarragona. On the way, Atta stopped in Reus to pick up Ramzi bin al-Shibh at the airport. They drove to Cambrils, where they spent a night at the Hotel Monica. They checked out the next morning, and spent the next few days at an unknown location in Tarragona.^[70] The absence of other hotel stays, signed receipts or credit card stubs has led investigators to believe that the men may have met in a safe house provided by other al-Qaeda operatives in Spain. There, Atta and bin al-Shibh held a meeting to complete the planning of the attacks. Several clues have been found to link their stay in Spain to Syrian-born Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas (Abu Dahdah), and Amer el Azizi, a Moroccan in Spain. They may have helped arrange and host the meeting in Tarragona.^[72] Yosri Fouda, who interviewed bin al-Shibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) before the arrest, believes that Said Bahaji and KSM may have also been present at the meeting. Spanish investigators have said that Marwan al-Shehhi and two others later joined the meeting. Bin al-Shibh would not discuss this meeting with Fouda.^[73]

During the Spain meetings, Atta and bin al-Shibh had coordinated the details of the attacks. The 9/11 Commission obtained details about the meeting, based on interrogations of bin al-Shibh in the weeks after his arrest in September 2002. Bin al-Shibh explained that he passed along instructions from Osama bin Laden, including his desire for the attacks to be carried out as soon as possible. Bin Laden was concerned about having so many operatives in the United States. Atta confirmed that all the muscle hijackers had arrived in the United States, without any problems, but said that he needed five to six more weeks to work out details. Bin Laden also asked that other operatives not be informed of the specific data until the last minute. During the meeting, Atta and bin al-Shibh also decided on the targets to be hit, ruling out a strike on a nuclear plant. Bin al-Shibh passed along bin Laden's list of targets; bin Laden wanted the U.S. Congress, the Pentagon, and the World Trade Center to be attacked, as they were deemed "symbols of America." They also discussed the personal difficulties Atta was having with fellow hijacker Ziad Jarrah. Bin al-Shibh was worried that Jarrah might even abandon the plan. The 9/11 Commission Report speculated that the now-convicted terrorist conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui was being trained as a possible replacement for Jarrah.^[56][57]

From July 13 to 16, Atta stayed at the Hotel Sant Jordi in Tarragona.^[70][71] After bin al-Shibh returned to Germany on July 16, 2001, Atta had three more days in Spain. He spent two nights in Salou at the beachside Casablanca Playa Hotel, then spent the last two nights at the Hotel Residencia Montsant.^[74] On July 19, Atta returned to the United States, flying on Delta Air Lines from Madrid to Fort Lauderdale, via Atlanta.^[71]

August 2001 final plans in U.S.[link]

On July 22, 2001, Mohamed Atta rented a Mitsubishi Galant from Alamo Rent A Car, putting 3,836 miles on the vehicle before returning it on July 26. On July 25, Atta dropped Ziad Jarrah off at Miami International Airport for a flight back to Germany. On July 26, Atta traveled via Continental Airlines to Newark, New Jersey and checked into the Kings Inn Hotel in Wayne, New Jersey and stayed there until July 30 when he took a flight from Newark back to Fort Lauderdale.^[16]

On August 4, Atta is believed to have been at Orlando International Airport waiting to pick up suspected "20th Hijacker" Mohammed al-Qahtani from Dubai, who ended up being held by immigration as "suspicious." Atta was believed to have used a payphone at the airport to phone a number "linked to al-Qaeda" after Qahtani was denied entry.^[75]

On August 6, Atta and Shehhi rented a 1995 white, four door Ford Escort from Warrick's Rent-A-Car, which was returned on August 13. On August 6, Atta booked a flight on Spirit Airlines from Fort Lauderdale to Newark, leaving on August 7 and returning on August 9. The reservation was not used and canceled on August 9 with the reason "Family Medical Emergency". Instead, he went to Central Office & Travel in Pompano Beach to purchase a ticket for a flight to Newark, leaving on the evening of August 7 and schedule to return in the evening on August 9. Atta did not take the return flight. On August 7, Atta checked into the Wayne Inn in Wayne, New Jersey and checked out on August 9. The same day, he booked a one-way first class ticket via the Internet on America West Flight 244 from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Las Vegas.^[16] Atta traveled twice to Las Vegas on "surveillance flights" rehearsing how the 9/11 attacks would be carried out. Other hijackers traveled to Las Vegas at different times in the summer of 2001.

Throughout the summer, Atta met with Nawaf al-Hazmi to discuss the status of the operation on a monthly basis.^[76]

On August 23, Atta's driver license was revoked in absentia after he failed to show up in traffic court to answer the earlier citation for driving without a license.^[77] On the same day, Israeli Mossad reportedly gave his name to the CIA as part of a list of 19 names they said were planning an attack in the near future. Only four of the names are known for certain including Atta; Marwan al-Shehhi, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi.^[78] On August 30 he was recorded purchasing a utility knife from a Wal-Mart store near the hotel where he stayed prior to 9/11.

Attacks[link]

Atta (blue shirt) and Omari in the Portland International Jetport in Portland, Maine on the morning of 9/11

	Mohamed Atta at 08:23 Mohamed Atta's first announcement, heard by ATC at 08:23
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

	Mohamed Atta at 08:33 Mohamed Atta's second announcement at 08:33
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

On September 10, 2001, Atta picked up Omari from the Milner Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, and the two drove their rented Nissan Altima to a Comfort Inn in South Portland, Maine; on the way they were seen getting gasoline at an Exxon Gas Station. They arrived at 5:43 p.m. and spent the night in room 232. While in South Portland, they were seen making two ATM withdrawals, and stopping at Wal-Mart. FBI also reported that "two middle-eastern men" were seen in the parking lot of a Pizza Hut.^[79]

Atta and Omari arrived early the next morning, at 5:40 a.m., at the Portland International Jetport, where they left their rental car in the parking lot and boarded a 6:00 a.m. Colgan Air (US Airways Express) BE-1900C flight to Boston's Logan International Airport.^[80] In Portland, Mohamed Atta was selected by the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS), which required his checked bags to undergo extra screening for explosives but involved no extra screening at the passenger security checkpoint.^[81]

The connection between the two flights at Logan International Airport was within Terminal B, but the two gates were not connected within security. One must leave the secured area, go outdoors, cross a covered roadway, and enter another building before going through security once again. There are two separate concourses in Terminal B; the south concourse is mainly used by US Airways and the north one is mostly used by American Airlines. It had been overlooked that there would still be a security screen to pass in Boston because of this distinct detail of the terminal's arrangement. At 6:45 a.m., while at the Boston airport, Atta took a call from Marwan al-Shehhi, another hijacker. This call was apparently to confirm that the attacks were ready to begin. Atta checked in for American Airlines Flight 11, passed through security again, and boarded the flight. Atta was seated in business class, in seat 8D. At 7:59 a.m., the plane departed from Boston, carrying 81 passengers.^[80]

The hijacking began at 8:14 a.m.—15 minutes after the flight departed—when beverage service would be starting. At this time, the pilots stopped responding to air traffic control, and the aircraft began deviating from the planned route.^[6] At 8:18 a.m., flight attendants Betty Ong and Madeline Amy Sweeney began making phone calls to American Airlines to report what was happening. Ong provided information about lack of communication with the cockpit, lack of access to the cockpit, and passenger injuries.^[80][82] At 8:24:38 a.m., a voice believed to be Atta's^{[not in citation given]} was heard by air traffic controllers, saying: "We have some planes. Just stay quiet and you will be OK. We are returning to the airport." "Nobody move, everything will be OK. If you try to make any moves you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet..." "Nobody move please. We are going back to the airport. Don't try to make any stupid moves." The plane's transponder was turned off at 8:28 a.m. At 8:46:40 a.m., Atta^{[not in citation given]} crashed the Boeing 767 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. This was the first aircraft to hit the Twin Towers on the morning of September 11, 2001.^[6]

Because the flight from Portland to Boston had been delayed,^[83] his bags did not make it onto Flight 11. Atta's bags were later recovered in Logan International Airport, and they contained airline uniforms, flight manuals, and other items. The luggage included a copy of Atta's will, written in Arabic, as well as a list of instructions, also in Arabic, such as "make an oath to die and renew your intentions", "you should feel complete tranquility, because the time between you and your marriage in heaven is very short", and "check your weapon before you leave and long before you leave. You must make your knife sharp and you must not discomfort your animal during the slaughter".^[84]

Martyrdom video[link]

On October 1, 2006, The Sunday Times released a video it had obtained "through a previously tested channel", purporting to show Mohamed Atta and Ziad Jarrah recording a martyrdom message six and a half years earlier at a training camp in Afghanistan. The video, bearing the date of January 18, 2000, is of high quality resolution but contains no sound track. Lip readers have failed to decipher it. Atta and Jarrah appear in high spirits, laughing and smiling in front of the camera. They have never been pictured together before. Unidentified sources from both Al-Qaeda and the United States confirmed to The Times the video's authenticity. A separate section of the video shows Osama bin Laden addressing his followers at a complex near Kandahar. Ramzi bin al-Shibh is also identified in the video. According to The Sunday Times, "American and German investigators have struggled to find evidence of Atta’s whereabouts in January 2000 after he disappeared from Hamburg. The hour-long tape places him in Afghanistan at a decisive moment in the development of the conspiracy when he was given operational command. Months later both he and Jarrah enrolled at flying schools in America."^[1][85]

Mistaken identity[link]

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, names of the hijackers were released. There was some confusion regarding who Mohamed Atta was, and cases of mistaken identity. Initially, Mohamed Atta's identity was confused with that of a native Jordanian, Mahmoud Mahmoud Atta, who bombed a bus in 1986 on the Israeli-occupied West Bank, killing one and severely injuring three. Mahmoud Atta was 14 years older than Atta.^[86]. Mahmoud Atta, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was subsequently deported from Venezuela to the United States, extradited to Israel, tried and sentenced to life in prison. The Israeli Supreme Court later overturned his extradition and set him free.^[87] After 9/11, there also were reports stating that Mohamed Atta had attended International Officers School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. The Washington Post quoted a United States Air Force official who explained, "discrepancies in their biographical data, such as birth dates 20 years off, indicate we are probably not talking about the same people."^[88]

There were numerous reports in the media of Atta and Shehhi going to Shuckum's Oyster Pub and Seafood Grill, a sports bar in Hollywood, Florida, on September 8, 2001. Atta, Shehhi, and a third unidentified man reportedly drank heavily and played the Golden Tee '97 arcade game there.^[89] The bartender said "Atta drank vodka and orange juice, while Shehhi preferred rum and cokes, five drinks apiece. They were wasted [visibly intoxicated]."^[90] Manager Tony Amos described, "The guy Mohamed was drunk, his voice was slurred and he had a thick accent." Bartender Patricia Idrissi said the men argued over the bill, and when she asked if there was a problem, "Mohamed said he worked for American Airlines and he could pay his bill."^[91] Atta said, "I have plenty of money. I'm a pilot." And he hauled a wad of $50 and $100 bills from his pocket, eventually leaving a $3 tip.^[90] However, Atta flew on US Airways Flight 2719 to Baltimore on September 7 from Fort Lauderdale.^[92] On September 8, Atta was in Laurel, Maryland, where he went to a Safeway grocery store to wire $2850 to Mustafa Muhammad Ahmad in Dubai, and sent another $5000 to Ahmed from a Giant Food store in Laurel on the same day.^[93][94] On September 9, Atta flew on to Boston.^[92]

Prague controversy[link]

In the months following the September 11 attacks, officials at the Czech Interior Ministry asserted that Atta made a trip to Prague on April 8, 2001 to meet with an Iraqi intelligence agent named Ahmed Khalil Ibrahim Samir al-Ani. This piece of information was passed on to the FBI as "unevaluated raw intelligence".^[95] Intelligence officials have concluded that such a meeting did not occur. A Pakistani businessman named Mohammed had come to Prague from Saudi Arabia on May 31, 2000, with this second Atta possibly contributing to confusion. The Egyptian Mohamed Atta arrived at the Florenc bus terminal in Prague, from Germany, on June 2, 2000. He left Prague the next day, flying on Czech Airlines to Newark, New Jersey. In the Czech Republic, some intelligence officials say the source of the purported meeting was an Arab informant who approached the Czech intelligence service with his sighting of Atta only after Atta's photograph had appeared in newspapers all over the world. U.S. and Czech intelligence officials have since concluded that the person seen with Ani, was mistakenly identified as Atta, and the consensus of investigators has concluded that Atta never attended a meeting in Prague.^[96][97][98]

Able Danger[link]

In 2005, Army Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer and Congressman Curt Weldon alleged that the Defense Department data mining project Able Danger produced a chart that identified Atta, along with Nawaf al-Hazmi, Khalid al-Mihdhar, and Marwan al-Shehhi, as members of a Brooklyn-based al-Qaeda cell in early 2000.^[99] Shaffer largely based his allegations on the recollections of Navy Captain Scott Phillpott,^[100] who later recanted his recollection, telling investigators that he was "convinced that Atta was not on the chart that we had." Phillpott said that Shaffer was "relying on my recollection 100 percent," and the Defense Department Inspector General's report indicated that Philpott "may have exaggerated knowing Atta's identity because he supported using Able Danger's techniques to fight terrorism."^[101][102]

Five witnesses who had worked on Able Danger and had been questioned by the Defense Department's Inspector General later told investigative journalists that their statements to the IG were distorted by investigators in the final IG's report, or the report omitted essential information that they had provided. The alleged distortions of the IG report centered around excluding any evidence that Able Danger had identified and tracked Atta years before 9/11.^[103] See Able_Danger#Evidence_of_IG_cover-up.

Lt Col Shaffer's book also clearly indicates direct identification of the Brooklyn cell, and Mohammed Atta.^[104]

Family reaction[link]

Atta's father, Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta, a retired lawyer in Egypt vehemently rejected allegations his son was involved in the September 11 attacks and instead accuses Mossad and the U.S. government of having a hand in framing his son.^[31] Atta Sr. vehemently rejected media reports his son was drinking wildly, and instead described his son as a quiet boy uninvolved in politics, shy and devoted to studying architecture.^[105] The elder Mr. Atta claimed to have spoken with Mohamed by phone two days after the air crashes of the September 11, although there is no evidence to support Mr. Atta's claim. He held interviews with the German news magazine Bild am Sonntag in late 2002 claiming his son is alive and in hiding in fear for his life, and claimed American Christians were responsible for the September 11 attacks.^[106] However in 2005, in another interview, Atta Sr. has stated "My son is gone. He is now with God. The Mossad killed him."^[107]

Motivation[link]

There are multiple, conflicting explanations for Atta's behavior and motivation. Political psychologist Jerrold Post has suggested that Atta and his fellow hijackers were just following orders from Al Qaeda leadership, "and whatever their destructive, charismatic leader, Osama bin Laden said was the right thing to do for the sake of the cause was what they would do." ^[108] In turn, political scientist Robert Pape has claimed that Atta was motivated by his commitment to the political cause, that he was psychologically normal, and that he was “not readily characterized as depressed, not unable to enjoy life, not detached from friends and society.” ^[109] By contrast, criminal justice professor Adam Lankford has found evidence that Atta was clinically suicidal, and that his struggles with social isolation, depression, guilt, shame, hopelessness, and rage were extraordinarily similar to the struggles of those who commit conventional suicide and murder-suicide. By this view, Atta’s political and religious beliefs affected the method of his suicide and his choice of target, but they were not the underlying causes of his behavior. ^[110]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Burke, Jason (2003). Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam (2006 revised ed.). New York: IB Tauris. ISBN 978-1-85043-666-9. 
• Corbin, Jane (2003). Al-Qaeda: In Search of the Terror Network that Threatens the World. Nation Books. ISBN 1-56025-523-4. 
• Der Spiegel (2002). Inside 9-11: What Really Happened. Diane Pub Co. ISBN 0-312-98748-X. 
• Fouda, Yosri and Nick Fielding (2004). Masterminds of Terror. Arcade Publishing. ISBN 1-55970-717-8. 
• Four Corners, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, broadcast November 12, 2001
• McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers: The 9/11 Hijackers: Who They Were, Why They Did It. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-058469-6. 
• The 9/11 Commission Report, (W.W. Norton & Company) ISBN 0-393-32671-3

External links[link]

• Interviews with those who interacted with Atta prior to 9/11 from Australian ABC TV's "A Mission To Die For" TV programme
• October 2001 interview with Dittmar Machule – Machule was Atta's thesis supervisor at the University of Hamburg-Harburg
• Atta's will, written in 1996
• Atta's Odyssey – October 2001 biography of Atta printed in Time Magazine

v t e Alleged militants in the War on Terror who have lived in Germany Alleged members of al-Qaeda and al-Jihad Mohammed Haydar Zammar · Christian Ganczarski Hamburg Cell · September 11 attacks Mohamed Atta · Marwan al-Shehhi · Ziad Jarrah · Ramzi bin al-Shibh · Said Bahaji · Zakariya Essabar · Mounir el-Motassadeq Held in Guantanamo Bay Murat Kurnaz · Ramzi bin al-Shibh Wrongly accused Murat Kurnaz · Khalid El-Masri · Gholam Ghaus Z. · Abdelghani Mzoudi 2006 German train bombing plot Youssef Mohamad El Hajdib · Jihad Hamad 2007 bomb plot in Germany Fritz Gelowicz · Daniel Schneider · Adem Yilmaz 2011 Frankfurt Airport shooting Arid Uka

v t e Alleged militants in the War on Terror who have lived in the United States September 11 attacks Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Mohamed Atta Satam al-Suqami Waleed al-Shehri Wail al-Shehri Abdulaziz al-Omari Marwan al-Shehhi Fayez Banihammad Mohand al-Shehri Hamza al-Ghamdi Ahmed al-Ghamdi Hani Hanjour Khalid al-Mihdhar Majed Moqed Nawaf al-Hazmi Salem al-Hazmi Ziad Jarrah Ahmed al-Nami Saeed al-Ghamdi Ahmed al-Haznawi Buffalo Six Sahim Alwan Mukhtar al-Bakri Faysal Galab Yahya Goba Shafal Mosed Yaseinn Taher al-Qaeda / Islamic Jihad / al-Jihad Sami Al-Arian Anwar al-Awlaki Khaled Abu el-Dahab Adam Yahiye Gadahn Wadih el-Hage Ziyad Khaleel Sharif Mobley Ali Mohamed Zacarias Moussaoui Aafia Siddiqui Bryant Neal Vinas Najibullah Zazi Boston cab drivers Mohamad Elzahabi Raed Hijazi Bassam Kanj Portland Seven Jeffrey Battle Ahmed Bilal Muhammad Bilal Patrice Lumumba Ford Mike Hawash October Lewis Habis Abdulla al Saoub Arrested in 2005 and convicted Abdulrahman Farhane Mahmud al-Mutazzim Rafiq Abdus Sabir Tarik Shah Liberty City Seven convicted Patrick Abraham Burson Augustin Rotschild Augustine Narseal Batiste Stanley Phanor acquitted Naudimar Herrera Lyglenson Lemorin 2007 Fort Dix plot Agron Abdullahu Dritan Duka Eljvir Duka Shain Duka Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer Serdar Tatar 2009 Bronx plot James Cromitie David Williams Onta Williams 2010 Vilks assassination plot Colleen LaRose Jamie Paulin-Ramirez D.C. Five Umer Farooq Waqar Khan Ahmed Abdullah Minni Aman Hassan Yasir Ramy Zamzam Others Nuradin Abdi Ahmed Omar Abu Ali Farooque Ahmed Shirwa Ahmed Mohamed Mahmood Alessa Carlos Eduardo Almonte Daniel Patrick Boyd / Raleigh jihad group Iyman Faris Rezwan Ferdaus Michael Finton Nidal Malik Hasan David Headley Majid Khan John Walker Lindh Daniel Maldonado Sayed Malike Mohamed Osman Mohamud Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad José Padilla Michael Curtis Reynolds Faisal Shahzad Adnan Gulshair el Shukrijumah Hosam Maher Husein Smadi Ali al-Tamimi Detroit Sleeper Cell Virginia Jihad Network 2011 Manhattan terrorism plot 2005 Los Angeles bomb plot Held in Guantanamo Bay Majid Khan

Daddy Yankee
Background information
Birth name	Ramón Ayala
Also known as	Winchester 30-30 El Cangri El Jefe The Big Boss DY El Máximo Lider
Born	(1977-02-03) February 3, 1977 (age 35)
Origin	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Genres	Reggaeton, Latin rap, hip-hop
Years active	1992–present
Labels	El Cartel, Interscope, Sony Music Latin
Website	daddyyankee.com

Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1977), known artistically as Daddy Yankee, is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican reggaeton recording artist. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, the largest district of San Juan, where he became interested in music at a young age. In his youth he was interested in baseball, and aspired to become a Major League Baseball player. He was unable to continue this sport when he received an injury to one of his legs, leaving him unable to walk correctly. He then became involved in the underground rap movement that was in its early stages in Puerto Rico, later to be called reggaeton. After receiving lessons from several artists within the genre, he developed an independent career, first recording in a production titled Playero 37. After this he began to produce independent albums. His first solo album was No Mercy. He subsequently formed a duo with Nicky Jam, and then continued his solo career with the releases of El Cartel and El Cartel II. This led him be one of many pioneers of the reggaeton genre earning him the nickname "El Cangri".

In 2002 El Cangri.com became Ayala's first album with international success, receiving coverage in the markets of New York and Miami. Barrio Fino was released in 2004, and the album received numerous awards, including Lo Nuestro Awards and a Latin Billboard, as well as receiving nominations for the Latin Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards. Barrio Fino performed well in the sales charts of the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Japan. On June 5, 2007, El Cartel Records released El Cartel: The Big Boss, which was ranked as the top-selling album in Latin music genres in 2007. He promoted the album with an international tour which began in the United States and continued through Latin America, breaking attendance records in Ecuador and Bolivia.

His performances have appeared on more than 70 albums, including compilations such as Mas Flow 2 and Blin Blin Vol. 1. Outside of his work as a musician, Ayala has also worked as an actor and producer. Throughout his career, he has been generally reluctant to discuss his personal life, but has publicly expressed the importance of his wife and children to him.

Following the incident, he became interested in the underground movement, which at the time was in an early organizational stage.^[1] He also took more interest in the events that took place in the neighborhood in which he was raised, a public housing project named Villa Kennedy.^[2] Early in his career he attempted to imitate the style of Vico C. He went on to emulate other artists in the genre, including DJ Playero, DJ Nelson, and DJ Goldy, taking elements from their styles in order to develop an original style.^[1] In doing so, he eventually abandoned the traditional model of rap and became one of the first artists to perform reggaeton.^[1] Ayala first recorded with DJ Playero as a featured artist in a production titled Playero 37, which was released in 1992.^[2]

Musical career[link]

Independent productions[link]

His first album, titled No Mercy, was produced in 1995 when Ayala was eighteen years old.^[2] The production did not sell well, and he continued his work within the genre for the rest of the decade, eventually forming a duo with Nicky Jam. One of the duo's songs, "Posición", was included in the soundtrack of One Tough Cop, a movie directed by Bruno Barreto, that was released in 1998. Beginning in 2000, Ayala began concentrating more on his solo career, releasing albums produced outside studios. The first production he released was titled El Cartel, featuring elements of the mixtape style.^[2] In 2001 El Cartel II was released, a direct sequel to the previous production, and influenced by similar genres.

In 2005 El Cangri.com was released, and became the first album in Ayala's career to sell well outside Puerto Rico, mostly in the United States.^[2] The album was produced by VI Music, an independent recording studio in Puerto Rico, and was not supported by a major label.^[2] The most successful single from the album was "Latigazo", which received significant play on radio stations in New York and Miami.^[2] The album reached #43 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart.^[2] Following the release of this disc, Ayala performed at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum before 12,000 fans.^[3] The following year VI Music produced Los Homerun-es.^[2] The album became the leader in sales in Puerto Rico during a year in which several other reggaeton artists released significant productions, including Luny Tune's Mas Flow, Don Omar's The Last Don, and Tego Calderón's El Abayarde.^[2] The album's success helped Ayala receive the publicity required for a crossover to the United States market, and marked the last album he released with VI music before signing a contract with Universal

2004–2005[link]

Ayala's next album, Barrio Fino, was produced by Luny Tunes and released in July 2004 by El Cartel Records and VI Music. It was the most highly anticipated album in the reggaeton community.^[4] Ayala had enjoyed Salsa music since he was young, and this led him to include music of genres besides reggaeton in the album.^[4] The most prominent of these cross-genre singles was "Melao", in which he performed with Andy Montañez.^[4] The album was described as his most complete, and with it he intended to introduce combinations of reggaeton and other genres to the English-speaking market.^[4] Barrio Fino was followed up by an international tour with performances in numerous countries including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Honduras, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and the United States.^[4] The album has sold over 500,000 copies in the United States alone and has sold well throughout Latin America and worldwide.^[5]

In 2005 Ayala won several international awards, making him one of the most recognized reggaeton artists within the music industry.^[6] The first award of the year was Lo Nuestro Awards within the "Latin music" category, which he received for Barrio Fino.^[6] In this event he performed "Gasolina" in a performance that was described as "innovative".^[6] Barrio Fino also won the "Reggaeton Album of the Year" award in the Latin Billboard that took place on April 28, 2005,^[6] where he performed a mix of three of his songs in a duo with P. Diddy. The album was promoted throughout Latin America, the United States, and Europe, reaching certified gold in Japan. Due to the album's success, Ayala received promotional contracts with radio stations and soda companies, including Pepsi.^[7] His single "Gasolina" received the majority of votes cast for the second edition of Premios Juventud, in which it received eight nominations and won seven awards.^[6] Ayala also made a live presentation during the award ceremony. "Gasolina" received nominations in the Latin Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards.^[6]

The successful single, "Gasolina", was covered by artists from different music genres. This led to a controversy when Los Lagos, a Mexican banda group, did a cover with the original beat but changed the song's lyrics.^[8] The group's label had solicited the copyright permission to perform the single and translate it to a different music style, but did not receive consent to change the lyrics; legal action followed.^[8] Speaking for the artist, Ayala's lawyer stated that having his songs covered was an "honor, but it must be done the right way."^[8]

2006–present[link]

On April 30, 2006, Ayala was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, which cited the 2 million copies of Barrio Fino sold, Ayala's $20 million contract with Interscope Records, and his Pepsi endorsement.^[9] During this period, Ayala and William Omar Landrón (more commonly known by his artistic name Don Omar) were involved in a rivalry within the genre, dubbed "tiraera". The rivalry received significant press coverage despite being denied early on by both artists. It originated with a lyrical conflict between the artists begun by Ayala's comments in a remix single, where he criticized Landron's common usage of the nickname "King of Kings".^[10] Don Omar responded to this in a song titled "Ahora Son Mejor", part of his album Los Rompediscotecas.^[10]

El Cartel: The Big Boss was released by Interscope on June 5, 2007. Ayala stated that the album marked a return to his hip-hop roots as opposed to being considered a strictly reggaeton album.^[11] The album was produced in 2006, and included the participation of will.i.am, Scott Storch, Tainy Tunes, Neli, and personnel from Ayala's label. Singles were produced with Héctor Delgado, Fergie, Nicole Scherzinger and Akon.^[11] The first single from the album was titled "Impacto", and was released prior to the completion of the album. The album was promoted by a tour throughout the United States, which continued throughout Latin America.^[11] He performed in Mexico, first in Monterrey, where 10,000 attended the concert, and later at San Luis Potosí coliseum, where the concert sold out, leaving hundreds of fans outside the building.^[12] Ayala performed in Chile as well, and established a record for attendance in Ecuador.^[13] He also performed in Bolivia, setting another record when 50,000 fans attended his Santa Cruz de la Sierra concert.^[13] This show was later described as "the best show with the biggest attendance in history" and as "somehappy that his album had sold more than those of Juan Luis Guerra and Juanes, and that this was an "official proof that reggaeton's principal exponent defeated the rest of the genres".^[14] Ayala made a guest appearance in an album titled "Caribbean he loved the color reed|Inner Circle]], Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and Wayne Wonder.^[15] In July 2008, Ayala announced that as part of his work, he would produce a cover version of Thalía's song, Ten Paciencia.^[16] Prior to the album's release, Ayala scheduled several activities, including an in-store contract signing.^[17] On February 27, 2009, he performed at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile.^[18] In this event, the artists receive awards based on the public's reaction. After performing "Rompe", "Llamado de emergencia", "Tú me dejaste caer", "Gasolina", "Limpia parabrisas" and "Lo que pasó, pasó" over the course of two hours, Ayala received the "Silver Torch", "Gold Torch" and "Silver Seagull" recognitions.^[18] On April 24, 2009, he received the Spirit of Hope Award as part of the Latin Billboard Music Awards ceremony.^[19] The recognition is given to the artists that participate in community or social efforts throughout the year. The single "Grito Mundial" was released on October 8, 2009,^[20] in order to promote his ninth album, Mundial. Despite releasing "El Ritmo No Perdona (Prende)" more than a month before, that single was not considered the first official promotional single.

Film and other career projects[link]

Ayala has negotiated promotional deals with several companies outside of the music industry, releasing merchandise under his name. In 2005, he became the first Latin artist to sign a deal with Reebok, in order to produce accessories,^[21] including the licensed clothing line "DY", which was released in 2006.^[22] He also teamed up with the company to have his own shoes and sporting goods made, which were first distributed on May 23, 2006.^[11] Reebok continued the partnership with the introduction of the Travel Trainer collection in July 2007. In August 2007, Pepsi began an advertising campaign titled "Puertas", in which Ayala is depicted returning to his youth by opening a series of doors.^[23]

In 2008, Ayala participated in a campaign to promote voting in the 2008 general elections in Puerto Rico. This initiative included a concert titled "Vota o quédate callao".^[24] On August 25, 2008, Ayala endorsed John McCain's candidacy for President of the United States, stating that McCain "has been a fighter for the Hispanic community".^[25] As part of this campaign, Ayala moderated a debate titled “Vota o quédate callao: los candidatos responden a los jóvenes”, which was aired on October 9, 2008.^[26]

Ayala has worked in the film industry as both an actor and producer. His acting debut was the lead role of Vampiros, a film directed by Eduardo Ortiz and filmed in Puerto Rico.^[27] The film premiered at the Festival of Latin American Cinema in New York, where it received a positive reaction. This led Image Entertainment to produce a DVD, internationally released in March 2005.^[27] Ayala played the main role "Edgar" in Talento de Barrio, which was filmed in Puerto Rico and directed by José Iván Santiago. Ayala produced the film, which is based on his experience of growing up in a poor city neighborhood.^[28] While the film is not directly a biography, Ayala has stated that it mirrors his early life.^[28] Talento de Barrio's debut was scheduled for July 23, 2008, in New York's Latino Film Festival.^[29] After the premier, Ayala expressed satisfaction, saying that he had been invited to audition for other producers.^[30] On release, Talento de Barrio broke the record held by Maldeamores for the most tickets to a Puerto Rican movie sold in a single day in Caribbean Cinemas.^[31]

Ayala has been involved in the administration of three organizations, the first being El Cartel Records which he co-owns with Andres Hernandez. He also created the Fundación Corazón Guerrero, a charitable organization in Puerto Rico which works with young incarcerated people.^[32] On April 26, 2008, he was presented with a "Latino of the Year Award" by the student organization Presencia Latina of Harvard College, receiving it for his work with Puerto Rican youth and creating Corazón Guerrero.^[33] On February 6, 2008, Ayala announced in a Baloncesto Superior Nacional press conference that he had bought part of the Criollos de Caguas' ownership.^[34]

Personal life[link]

Ayala has kept most of his personal life private, rarely speaking about it in interviews.^[35] He has said that he avoids doing so because such details are the only aspect of his life that are not public and that they are like a "little treasure".^[35] He made an exception in 2006 when he spoke about his relationship with his wife and children in an interview with María Celeste Arrarás in Al Rojo Vivo.^[35] He stated that his marriage is strong because he and his wife are "friends above anything", adding that he has tried to ignore other temptations because "weakness is the reason for the downfall of several artists."^[35] He also described his "very close" communication with his children, in which he tries to offer advice against drugs and negative influences.^[35] His first daughter was born when he was seventeen years old,^[35] which he has described as confusing at first, adding that raising a daughter at that age was a hard experience.^[36]

Studio albums[link]

• 1995: No Mercy
• 2002: El Cangri.com
• 2004: Barrio Fino
• 2007: El Cartel: The Big Boss
• 2010: Daddy Yankee Mundial
• 2012: Prestige

Filmography[link]

Film

Television

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Puerto Rico portal
	Music portal

• Latin American music
• List of Caribbean music genres
• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Puerto Rican songwriters
• Urban contemporary

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Daddy Yankee at the Internet Movie Database

This article appears to be written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by rewriting promotional content from a neutral point of view and removing any inappropriate external links. (August 2010)

Alexis & Fido, a.k.a. Los Pitbulls,^[1] Los Reyes Del Perreo, Are a Latin Grammy nominated reggaeton duo from Puerto Rico. They are CEOs and co-founders of Wild Dogz Music.

Personal information[link]

Alexis' real name is Raúl Alexis Ortíz (born. August 5, 1979), while Fido's real name is Joel Martínez (born. July 14, 1979).^[2] They own the label Wild Dogz, which they created in 2006. According to Alexis & Fido, in an interview, the song "El Palo" put them on the map and made them known.^[2] In an interview,^[3] Fido stated that he served in the U.S. Army for four years. He married Rosa Rodríguez on August 9, 2008. Alexis is married to Gredmarie Colón, a contestant on Nuestra Belleza Latina 2011.^[4] The ceremony took place in Carolina, with Fido serving as best man.^[5] In 2008, the duo participated in a campaign to promote voting in the 2008 general elections in Puerto Rico. This initiative included a concert titled "Vota o quédate callao".^[6]

More important, 2009 or 2010 was their best year in which they released their album "Down to Earth". This album put them at the top with very well known Wisin y Yandel. Their new album features Gatubela, Superheroe, and more popular songs.

Musical career[link]

According to Fido,^[3] he and Yandel were close friends as teenagers and helped each other kick-start their careers. Likewise, Alexis was close to Wisin, and also helped him with his career. Eventually the two duos were formed, Alexis & Fido and Wisin & Yandel, and went their separate ways. Alexis & Fido featured on Yandel's solo album Quien Contra Mí, in Wisin's solo album El Sobreviviente and Wisin & Yandel featured on Alexis & Fido's Los Reyes Del Perreo album. These plans include working with artists like Arcángel, Wisin & Yandel again, and many more artists.^{[citation needed]}

In fewer than four years, Alexis y Fido have released three albums and contributed tracks to countless compilation albums, furthering their reputation as major contenders in the genre. Though Alexis y Fido have been performing reggaetón since their adolescent years, it wasn't until 2005 that they exploded into the international stratosphere. Their debut album, 2005's The Pitbulls, debuted at the No. 2 spot on Billboard's Top Heatseekers and the Latin Rhythm charts and at the No. 1 spot on the Top Latin Albums chart, eventually reaching gold status with over 200,000 copies sold worldwide. Their debut single, 2005's "Eso Ehh!", remained steadfast in the Top 10 of Billboard's Hot Latin Singles chart for ten consecutive weeks and, in addition, was featured on an episode of HBO's critically acclaimed series The Wire, and on the television series Entourage.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, building on the momentum of their debut album, Alexis y Fido released Los Reyes del Perreo, a greatest hits album that included some of the cuts that first garnered attention from reggaetón fans and insiders alike, infectious and danceable songs that appeared in some of the most memorable and highest-selling compilation albums in the history of the genre. From "El Palo", featured in 2003's El Band 11 Korrupto to "Tocále Bocina," from producer Noriega's Contra La Corriente, "El Rolo" from La Misión 4 and "El Tiburón" from Luny Tunes’ 2005 compilation Más Flow 2, these clever, picaresque cuts established Alexis y Fido as a rambunctious tour de force with boundless creative energy.

A year later, they returned with an even stronger, more infectious sound and image. Before the release of their second album "Sobrenatural" (2007), Alexis y Fido appeared in the reggaetón-centered drama, Feel the Noise, produced by Jennifer Lopez and starring R&B singer Omarion, Melonie Diaz and Rosa Arredondo. The album spawned two singles, "5 Letras" and "Soy Igual Que Tú," both of which topped the Latin Rhythm chart. The latter remained atop Billboard's Latin Rhythm chart for over a month. Sobrenatural sold over 100,000 units worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

Critics have also swooned over the group's comedic double entendres and high-energy cuts. The duo was invited to perform alongside multi-platinum recording artist Camila at the 2008 Latin Billboard Awards and they joined Toby Love on stage at the 2008 Premios Juventud awards show. Most importantly, in 2008, for the first time in their career, Alexis y Fido were nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards — they received a nod in the Best Urban Music Song category for "Soy Igual Que Tú" and in the Best Urban Music Album field for Sobrenatural. In 2006, AT&T handpicked Alexis y Fido to star in its widely successful "Far But Close" national campaign alongside actress Roselyn Sánchez and renowned basketball player Carlos Arroyo.

In October 2008, they teamed up with Sony Walkman Puerto Rico for a unique campaign aimed at high school seniors — contestants were asked to submit original graphic artwork inspired by the popular Walkman MP3 players, and the school with the winning design scored a private concert with Alexis y Fido during its senior prom. Alexis y Fido also participated in various voter outreach campaigns throughout 2008. In Puerto Rico, they joined the "Vota o Quédate Callao" ("Vote or Keep Quiet") campaign, encouraging young folks to vote through public service announcements. Stateside, meanwhile, they were invited to speak in the April 2008 panel "Hip-Hop Team: Turn Up the Vote", which was organized by the Hip-Hop Research and Education Fund and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and counted R&B superstar Ciara, music entrepreneur Russell Simmons and rappers Mike Jones and Flo-Rida as fellow participants.

In 2009 with the upcoming release of Down To Earth, Alexis y Fido continued their ascent to the top of the reggaetón chain, proving themselves as the bridge between the genre's past and its future. In November 2010, Alexis & Fido are planning on releasing new album, Perreologia, giving young people more positive lyrics. Its first single "Rescate" features Daddy Yankee.And second single features Yaviah "Zombie".^[7]

Discography[link]

• 2005: The Pitbulls
• 2006: Los Reyes Del Perreo
• 2007: Sobrenatural
• 2009: Down To Earth
• 2011: Perreología
• 2012: La Esencia: The Mixtape

Singles (including collaborations)[link]

• El Rolo
• El Palo
• Tocale Bocina
• Tiburón (Feat. Baby Ranks)
• Eso Ehh
• La Cama
• Me Quiere Besar
• Tu Recuerdo (Remix) (Feat. Ricky Martin)
• La Ex
• Ilogico (Feat. Los Yetzons)
• 5 Letras
• 5 Letras (Remix) (Feat. Erick Right, De La Ghetto, Zion, Los Yetzons)
• Soy Igual Que Tu (Feat. Toby Love)
• Yo Quiero (Remix) (Feat. Camila)
• Superheroe
• Subete
• Subete (Remix) (Feat. Don Omar)
• Boom Boom (Remix) (Feat. Zion & Lennox)
• Ojos Que No Ven
• La Cama (Parte 2)
• No Debe Tocarte (Feat. Toby Love)
• Ojos Que No Ven (Remix) (Feat. Pitbull)
• Mi Musica Ehh
• Bartender
• Te Estoy Esperando (Remix) (Feat. Ñejo & Dalmata)
• Cuidau Au Au (Remix) (Feat. Cosculluela, Daddy Yankee)
• Mala Conducta (Feat. Franco El "Gorila") (Perreologia)
• Si Tu No Estas (Feat. Limit-21, Ñejo & Dalmata)
• Me Gustas Tu (Feat. Yomo)
• Mala Conducta (Remix) (Feat. Franco El "Gorila", Arcángel & De La Ghetto)
• Rescate (Feat. Daddy Yankee) (Perreologia)
• Zombie (Feat. Yaviah) (Perreologia)
• Suavecito Despacio (Feat. Wisin & Yandel) (Los Vaqueros: El Regreso)
• Contestame El Telefono (Feat. Flex) (Perreologia)
• El Party Sigue (24/7) (Feat. Rakim & Ken-Y) (Forever)
• La Intelectual (Perreologia)
• Blam Blam (Feat. Cosculluela) (Perreologia)
• Deja Ver (Feat. Tony Dize) (Perreologia)
• Energia (Perreologia)
• La Trampa (Feat. Eddie Avila) (Perreologia)
• Donde Estes Llegare (Perreologia)
• Yo Se Que Quieres (Feat. Nova & Jory) (Perreologia)
• Como El Primer Beso (Perreologia)
• Bailando La Encontre (Perreologia)
• Camuflaje (Perreologia)
• Intro (Perreologia) (Bonus On Itunes)
• Tu Eres De Esas (Feat. Nova & Jory) (Mucha Calidad)
• Pata Boom (Remix) (Feat. Daddy Yankee, Jory, Jowell & Randy)
• Es Hora (Remix) (Feat. Farruko)
• Energia (Remix) (Feat. Wisin & Yandel)
• Camuflaje (Remix) (Feat. Arcángel & De La Ghetto)
• HP

References[link]

1. ^ Reggaetón 'Pitbulls' Ready To Strike Billboard Magazine, November 30, 2005
2. ^ ^{a b} Alexis y Fido "Los Reyes del Perreo" A la venta desde el 19 de septiembre de 2006
3. ^ ^{a b} Alexis y Fido @ REGGAETONLINE.net
4. ^ Frances Tirado (2008-08-09). "Fido llora de la emoción al casarse" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/farandula/espectaculosasi/fido_llora_de_la_emocion_al_casarse/218160. Retrieved 2008-08-11. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ Frances Tirado (2008-08-11). "Unidos ante Dios en emotiva boda" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/farandula/espectaculos_asi/unidos_ante_dios_en_emotiva_boda/218279. Retrieved 2008-08-11. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ Aixa Sepúlveda Morales (2008-08-11). "Unen sus voces en "Vota o quédate callao"" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/otros_asi/espectaculos_asi/unen_sus_voces_en_vota_o_quedate_callao/218283. Retrieved 208-08-11. 
7. ^ http://www.clubfonograma.com/2010/09/new-single-alexis-y-fido-feat-daddy.html