# Essam al-Ridi

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A veteran of the [Soviet invasion of Afghanistan](/source/Soviet_invasion_of_Afghanistan),[1] **Essam al-Ridi** was an American who was tasked to purchase a light aircraft by [Osama bin Laden](/source/Osama_bin_Laden) in 1993; but fled after accidentally crashing the plane into a [sand dune](/source/Sand_dune).

## Life

Born in Egypt, al-Ridi moved to the United States and settled down in Texas where he took flight lessons.[2] Eventually he became a flight instructor himself, teaching at the Ed Boardman Aviation School.[1]

In 1982, he went to repel the [Soviet invasion of Afghanistan](/source/Soviet_invasion_of_Afghanistan), becoming close colleagues with [Osama bin Laden](/source/Osama_bin_Laden). He participated in the [Battle of Jaji](/source/Battle_of_Jaji), but claimed that Arab claims of victory disillusioned him, and later returned to the United States.[2]

## Sabrejet incident

When [al-Qaeda](/source/Al-Qaeda) was moving into the [Sudan](/source/Sudan) in 1993, bin Laden asked al-Ridi, then living in Texas, to buy a light aircraft to ferry [FIM-92 Stinger](/source/FIM-92_Stinger) missiles and other materiel the group had acquired in Afghanistan. With $250,000, al-Ridi purchased a 1960s [Sabre-40](/source/Sabre-40) jet from the [309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group](/source/309th_Aerospace_Maintenance_and_Regeneration_Group) in Arizona.[1]

Since the plane had a range of only 1,500 miles, al-Ridi was forced to make a seven-leg journey to deliver the plane, flying to [Sault Sainte Marie](/source/Sault_Ste._Marie,_Michigan), then to [Frobisher Bay](/source/Frobisher_Bay) where -65 weather cracked a windshield and burst the [hydraulics](/source/Hydraulics), causing him to lose a week repairing the aircraft. Finally he embarked to [Iceland](/source/Iceland), through Europe and finally arriving in [Cairo](/source/Cairo), before embarking on the final leg of his trip.[1]

A year and a half after delivering the plane, al-Ridi was called back to [Khartoum](/source/Khartoum), where he met with [Ihab Ali Nawawi](/source/Ihab_Ali_Nawawi), and was informed that improper maintenance made the plane inoperable. [Wadi el-Hage](/source/Wadi_el-Hage) requested that the pair fix the aircraft, and then take it back to Cairo to re-sell it.[3]

The pair of them tried to repair the plane, its tires had melted to the [runway](/source/Runway) and its engines were filled with sand. The brakes failed after a test flight with both men flying, and the plane crashed into a [sand dune](/source/Sand_dune).[3]

The event attracted public attention, since the plane was unique in being a private aircraft at [Khartoum International Airport](/source/Khartoum_International_Airport) and known to belong to [Osama bin Laden](/source/Osama_bin_Laden). Worried that the Egyptian [Mukhabarat](/source/Egyptian_General_Intelligence_Service) would learn of his whereabouts, al-Ridi fled the Sudan.[3]

## Later life

In 1998, he was called to testify against [Wadi el-Hage](/source/Wadi_el-Hage).[2]

## References

1. Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon. "The Age of Sacred Terror", 2002

1. [PBS](/source/Public_Broadcasting_Service), [Avoiding Armageddon: Essam Alridi](https://www.pbs.org/avoidingarmageddon/meetThePeople/meet_01_03_alridi.html)

1. [United States District Court for the Southern District of New York](http://cryptome.org/usa-v-ubl-05.htm), January 14, 2001

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Essam al-Ridi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essam_al-Ridi) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essam_al-Ridi?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.