He is approached by Islamic prayer leader Abdulrahman Al-Makhadi, but Jarrah, who was born in Lebanon to a wealthy family and educated at a Christian school, explains he is not a practicing Muslim.

He becomes involved with the Hamburg mosque and continues to drift towards extremism, contrasted with Mohamed Atta, an already radicalized Muslim who follows the teachings of Ramzi bin al-Shibh about the "godlessness" of modernity.

In the United States where the planning for the hijackings in Washington and New York takes shape, Jarrah still feels the pull of the temptations of Western culture and comes into conflict with Atta's ideologies.

[12] Allan Hunter of Screen International said The Hamburg Cell "is compelling, provocative viewing but once it incorporates news reports and footage of [September 11] it begins to feel as if it has overstepped the mark...Blurring the line between documenting the facts and dramatising the motives ultimately creates an unsettling experience.

"[13] Hunter added, "A brave film for anyone to make, it becomes as tense as a fictional thriller but leaves lingering doubts that it tells us any more than we might have gleaned from a straightforward documentary.