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1 correction found
"the 9/11 terrorists were overwhelmingly well-educated, privileged, and wealthy"
The official 9/11 Commission report says the opposite on education: although four hijackers had pilot training, most of the 19 were not well-educated. The report also says many of the 'muscle' hijackers came from poor or underdeveloped regions, so describing the group as overwhelmingly privileged and wealthy is inaccurate.
Full reasoning
The strongest official summary we have is the bipartisan 9/11 Commission Report. Its executive summary states: "Though four had training as pilots, most were not well-educated." That directly contradicts the claim that the 9/11 terrorists were "overwhelmingly well-educated."
The commission's detailed chapter on the hijackers likewise says the 15 "muscle" hijackers came from "a variety of educational and societal backgrounds" and that "most were unemployed with no more than a high school education." It further notes that some came from "an isolated and underdeveloped area of Saudi Arabia" and that others came from "a poor region in southwestern Saudi Arabia."
So while some key plotters—especially several pilot hijackers—had more education or specialized training, the official record does not support characterizing the hijackers as overwhelmingly well-educated, privileged, and wealthy. The commission describes mixed backgrounds, with most not well-educated and many far from affluent.
2 sources
- The 9/11 Commission Report — Executive Summary
"Though four had training as pilots, most were not well-educated. Most spoke English poorly, some hardly at all."
- The 9/11 Commission Report — Chapter 7
The muscle hijackers came from "a variety of educational and societal backgrounds." "Most were unemployed with no more than a high school education," and some came from "an isolated and underdeveloped area of Saudi Arabia" or "a poor region in southwestern Saudi Arabia."