Original: Mohamed Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta ( , Muá ammad Muá ammad al - Ä mir â Awaá as-Sayyid â Aá á a ) ( September 1 , 1968 â '' September 11 , 2001 ) was one of the masterminds and the ringleader of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11 , crashing the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the coordinated attacks .
Simplified: Mohamed Atta ( ' ( September 1 , 1968 -- September 11 , 2001 ) was a known associate of al-Qaeda and the leader of the nineteen hijackers who carried out the September 11 , 2001 attacks . He personally participated in the hijacking of American Airlines Flight 11 , the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center during the September 11 , 2001 attacks .