Embry-Riddle Appalled by Reported Hijacker Link
Daytona Beach, Fla., Sept. 14, 2001 -- Officials at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University today said the FBI's list of hijackers involved in the terrorist attack on Tuesday, September 11, contains the name of a 1997 graduate.
A suspect with the name Waleed Alshehri was on the government's list as one of the terrorists who died in the suicide airliner attack on the World Trade Center. According to the FBI, Alshehri was aboard American Airlines flight 11, the first plane to strike the World Trade Center.
Embry-Riddle records show that a student with the name Waleed A. Al-Shehri graduated with a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical science.
"The fact that one of the perpetrators of this massive crime may have once been here is appalling," said George H. Ebbs, university president. "We learned just yesterday that one of the American Airlines pilots who died was an alumnus of the university. Now, to learn that one of the hijackers was a student here breaks our heart. We feel victimized and, quite frankly, very angry."
"It's a shame that just one of our more than 42,000 alumni has the potential to tarnish the reputation of Embry-Riddle," Ebbs said. "We are encouraged, however, that throughout this ordeal, our students and their families, alumni, and friends have been very supportive."
Embry-Riddle, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates more than 24,000 students annually through the master's level at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., at more than 100 teaching sites in the United States and Europe, and through distance learning.
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