Mustafa al-Hawsawi
Mustafa al-Hawsawi (
Arabic: مصطفى الحوساوي, also
transliterated in other ways, listed as Saudi, has used many
aliases; born
August 5,
1968 [Indictment of Zacarias Moussaoui, with supporting conspirators, Ramzi Bin al-Shibh and Mustafa al-Hawsawi. Filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.]) is a member of the militant Islamic organization
al-Qaida and an
organizer and financer of the
September 11, 2001 attacks.
Mustafa Ahmed,
Mustafa Muhammad Ahmad,
Ahmad Mustafa,
Isam Mansour,
Mustafa Ahmed Al-Hisawi,
Mr. Ali, and
Hani (Fawaz Trdng). It has been suggested that al-Hawsawi may be the same person as
Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, or may be an alias of the
Pakistani terrorist
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, although this is unclear.
Before the 9/11 attacks, al-Hawsawi had apparently worked in al-Qaida's media committee in
Kandahar. Then, along with al-Qaida financer Ali Abdul Aziz Ali (or perhaps using that name), al-Hawsawi assisted the hijackers from the
United Arab Emirates. He helped coordinate with
Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the operation, to bring the "muscle hijackers" into the United States in
2001. He attempted to help bring the so-called "
20th hijacker",
Mohamed al-Kahtani, into the United States, but al-Kahtani was unable to enter the country.
Al-Hawsawi also sent funds to the hijackers. In the Summer of 2000, he appears to have sent a total of $109,910 to some of the 9/11 hijackers in a series of
wire transfers under a variety of names. The New York Times has suggested that "Mustafa Ahmed" sent a total of $325,000 to the hijackers, but the 9/11 Commission was only able to verify $15,000 of this.
Just before the attacks, al-Hawsawi travelled to
Pakistan, knowing that travel would be much more difficult after the attacks. He is believed to have been captured by authorities there
March 1,
2003, reported taken to U.S. Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, unconfirmed by U.S. officials. [
1]
No biographical information for Al-Hawsawi appears to be available on line. However, in the indictment of Zacarias Moussaoui he is said to have been born in Jeddah on August 5, 1968.
Alongside Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Al-Hawsawi is one of three named and requested by Zacarias Moussaoui's defence team for questioning. However, although the U.S. Federal Government claims to be holding both men, it is refusing Moussaoui's request, citing national security concerns.
*
The Final 9/11 Commission Report*
Alleged al Qaeda paymaster in custody - CNN*
Indictment of Zacarias Moussaoui
