Mohamed Atta
Atta was born on September 1, 1968, in Kafr el-Sheikh, located in Egypt's Nile Delta region. 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. Atta was the only son; 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.
Maher El-Adawy
Early in his life, Maher El-Adawy lived and studied in Sudan, Australia and Switzerland, where he earned his High School Diploma from the American International School of Zurich. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with a minor in Computer Science from American University in Cairo in 1985. He received his Master of Arts degree in International Relations/Strategic Studies from Boston University in 1992. His father, Dr. Adel El-Adawy, was also an Egyptian Ambassador, serving in several Egyptian Missions around the world, he also was an adviser to former President Anwar Sadat, and the Head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Egyptian Parliament.