Khalid Abdalla ( , '' Khālid ‘ Abd Allāh '' ; born 26 October 1980 ) is a British Egyptian actor and activist . He came to international prominence after starring in the 2006 Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning film , '' United 93 '' . Written and directed by Paul Greengrass , it chronicles events aboard United Airlines Flight 93 , which was hijacked as part of the September 11 attacks . Abdalla played Ziad Jarrah , the pilot and leader of the four hijackers on board the flight . He starred as Amir in '' The Kite Runner '' and acted with Matt Damon in '' Green Zone '' , his second film with director Paul Greengrass . Abdalla appears as himself in Jehane Noujaim 's documentary on the ongoing Egyptian revolution , '' The Square '' , which won the Audience Award at Sundance Festival in 2013
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Khalid Abdalla