Ali Abdul Aziz Ali (Arabic: علي عبدالعزيز علي) is a member of the al-Qaida terrorist organization and reportedly a "nephew" or "cousin" of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, an important leader in the organization. Ali was an important facilitator and financer of the September 11, 2001 attacks. He is currently in U.S. custody in an unknown location.

Ali came from the United Arab Emirates and assisted several of the future hijackers while never leaving the country. In January of 2000 he assisted Marwan al-Shehhi, the future suicide pilot of United Airlines flight 175, in obtaining a Boeing 747-400 flight simulator program through the mail, as well as a Boeing 767 flight deck video and manuals. In April of the same year, Nawaf al-Hazmi, already an al-Qaida veteran, was able to receive about $5000 from Ali through a wire transfer to an Islamic center. Other transfers followed.

The 9/11 Commission Report reveals that "[b]etween June 29 and September 17, 2000, Ali sent Shehhi and [Mohammed] Atta a total of $114,500 in five transfers ranging from $5,000 to $70,000. Ali relied on the unremarkable nature of his transactions, which were essentially invisible amid the billions of dollars flowing daily across the globe. Ali was not required to provide identification in sending this money and the aliases he used were not questioned."

There is some suggestion that Ali may have used the name Mustafa al-Hawsawi as an alias, or they may be separate people. This is presently unclear.

Hani Hanjour, the suicide pilot of American Airlines flight 77, went to visit Ali Abdul Aziz Ali in the UAE in September. Ali opened a bank account for Hanjour and gave him an unknown amount of money. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, "Ali apparently assisted nine future hijackers between April and June 2001 as they came through Dubai. He helped them with plane tickets, traveler's checks, and hotel reservations; he also taught them about everyday aspects of life in the West, such as purchasing clothes and ordering food."

Ali has been captured and is being detained at an unknown location. He has been extensively interrogated, and has given a great deal of information about the organization of the 9/11 plot.

See also

• Planning and execution of the September 11, 2001 attacks
• Organizers of the September 11, 2001 attacks

External links

• The Final 9/11 Commission Report (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/index.html)