Mohamed Atta
Atta was born in 1968 in a small town in Egypt's Nile Delta. He was 10 years old when he moved with his family to the Abdeen section of Cairo. Atta studied architecture at Cairo University, graduating in 1990, and continued his studies in Germany at the Hamburg University of Technology. 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.
Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray
Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray was born in the town of Port Loko, Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone to devout Muslim parents; and a devout Muslim himself. Mohamed K Mansaray's father was Alhaji Alimamy Mansaray, a native of Lunsar, Port Loko District, and his mother was Haja Kadiatu Jah, a native of Gbinti, Port Loko District. Mohamed K Mansaray grew up in Koidu Town, Kono District in Eastern Sierra Leone with his parents. Mohamed K Mansaray attended the United Methodists Church Boys Primary School in Koidu Town and the Ansarul Islamic Primary School also in Koidu Town. Mohamed K Mansaray attended the Magburaka Boys Secondary School in Magburaka and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School in Freetown.