Early History
Studying to become a teacher like his brother, Wail, Waleed al-Shehri was from 'Asir province, a poor region in southwestern Saudi Arabia that borders Yemen. Since Shehri's family adhered to the Wahhabi school of Islam, he grew up in a very conservative household. His family did not have satellite television or internet and he was forbidden to play music or have contact with girls until he was old enough for an arranged marriage.
Early media accounts said that Waleed had earned his pilot's certificate at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1997. However, after a short investigation, Embry-Riddle was discovered to have not had any involvement in the flight training of the terrorists. A former student shared the same name as one of the hijackers, but the student, who is still alive, had no connections to al-Qaeda.
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