# Mastermind behind 9-11

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mastermind-behind-9-11/216140>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 1, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mastermind-behind-9-11/216140 "2003-12-01T00:39:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mastermind-behind-9-11/216140/1 "2003-12-01T00:39:37Z")

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What was the name of the al-Qaeda operative that was the mastermind behind 9-11?

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mastermind-behind-9-11/216140/2 "2003-12-01T00:43:09Z")

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In America, or abroad? The leader among the Sept. 11 hijackers is believed to be Mohammed Atta.

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**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mastermind-behind-9-11/216140/3 "2003-12-01T01:37:22Z")

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Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was the Al Queda figure at the highest level who had day to day knowledge and has been called the  
mastermind by Fox and CBS.

Ramzi Binalshibh, Mohamed Atta’s Hamburg roommate, who (apparently) was originally slated to be one of the four pilots leading the attack, was thought the be the mastermind in the first year or so post 9-11.

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**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mastermind-behind-9-11/216140/4 "2003-12-02T01:10:29Z")

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Actually it was me. Sorry about that.

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mastermind-behind-9-11/216140/5 "2003-12-02T03:39:51Z")

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Whatever happened to Khalid, anyway? Last I heard, they’d captured him in Pakistan back in March.

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**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mastermind-behind-9-11/216140/6 "2003-12-02T04:16:07Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \*  
> \*\*Whatever happened to Khalid, anyway? Last I heard, they’d captured him in Pakistan back in March. \*\*

Turns out they arrested [Ron Jeremy](http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2003/ALLPOLITICS/03/03/wbr.al.qaeda.capture/story.ksmohammed.ap.jpg) by mistake. Apologies all around.

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mastermind-behind-9-11/216140/7 "2003-12-02T09:11:36Z")

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The Atlantic Magazine had a cover story in October on “[The Dark Art of Interrogation](http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2003/10/bowden.htm)”, in which Mark Bowden wrote with known facts and educated conjecture about Khalid’s status.