2 days ago
Unsealed Evidence Intensifies Scrutiny of Omar al-Bayoumi in Saudi Lawsuit
Newly released records are bringing attention back to Omar al-Bayoumi.
He met two future 9/11 hijackers shortly after they arrived in California.
Investigators say he helped them find a home and handle everyday tasks.
Some FBI records describe him as someone paid by Saudi intelligence.
Other evidence includes videos and a notebook page that lawyers say may connect him to planning or knowledge of attacks.
A video also appears to show him with Anwar al-Awlaki before 9/11.
Saudi Arabia says Bayoumi was only helping fellow countrymen and was not an intelligence officer.
A lawsuit by victims' families is asking a US court to hold Saudi Arabia financially responsible.
Newly unsealed FBI files identify Omar al-Bayoumi as an alleged paid Saudi intelligence cooptee from at least 1998 through the 9/11 attacks.
Records and witness accounts say Bayoumi helped Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar settle in San Diego and access housing, banking, licenses, and flight-school information.
A video of Washington, DC, and a notebook page containing aircraft calculations are cited by plaintiffs as evidence of advance knowledge or operational involvement.
BBC-released footage appears to show Bayoumi with Anwar al-Awlaki and participating in tactical paintball exercises before 9/11.
Saudi Arabia denies involvement, while a New York civil lawsuit seeks damages from the kingdom under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.
- Who
- Omar al-Bayoumi, Nawaf al-Hazmi, Khalid al-Mihdhar, Saudi Arabia, and families and survivors of the September 11 attacks are central to the dispute.
- What
- A federal civil lawsuit is examining whether Saudi agents helped two 9/11 hijackers and whether Bayoumi had advance knowledge of the attacks.
- Where
- The reported activities occurred mainly in Southern California, Washington, DC, and Birmingham, England; the lawsuit is being heard in New York.
- When
- Bayoumi arrived in San Diego in August 1994; he met Hazmi and Mihdhar in January 2000; the lawsuit concerns the September 11, 2001 attacks and later evidence disclosures.
- Why
- Plaintiffs seek to establish that Saudi officials or agents materially supported the hijackers and to obtain financial liability from Saudi Arabia.
Plaintiffs and investigators
Saudi Arabia and Bayoumi's defense
Bayoumi's role
Plaintiffs and investigators
Plaintiffs and former investigators argue that Bayoumi acted as a Saudi intelligence operative and knowingly facilitated the hijackers' US activities.
Saudi Arabia and Bayoumi's defense
Saudi lawyers and Bayoumi's stated position say he was not an intelligence officer and simply helped fellow Saudi nationals as an act of cultural solidarity.
Meaning of the evidence
Plaintiffs and investigators
Victims' attorneys cite the Washington footage, aircraft calculations, financial records, and videos with Anwar al-Awlaki as evidence of operational involvement or advance knowledge.
Saudi Arabia and Bayoumi's defense
Saudi representatives argue that the Washington recording was tourist footage, the paintball video does not establish a criminal conspiracy, and the materials do not prove advance knowledge of the attacks.
Saudi state responsibility
Plaintiffs and investigators
The plaintiffs argue that Bayoumi and Saudi diplomat and cleric Fahad al-Thumairy acted as state agents who provided material support to the hijackers.
Saudi Arabia and Bayoumi's defense
Saudi Arabia denies any role in the attacks and has repeatedly sought dismissal of the lawsuit.
Key facts
- Lawsuit
- In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001, a federal civil case in the Southern District of New York
- Plaintiffs
- More than 2,500 family members of victims, survivors, and first responders
- Legal basis
- The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, passed by Congress in 2016
- Alleged Saudi funding
- A 2017 FBI memo said Bayoumi received monthly payments as a Saudi General Intelligence Presidency cooptee from at least 1998 through 9/11
- Hijacker assistance
- Records say Bayoumi helped Hazmi and Mihdhar obtain an apartment, bank accounts, driver's licenses, transportation help, and flight-school contacts
- Key evidence
- A Washington, DC, video and a notebook page with aircraft-related calculations were recovered or unsealed
- Saudi position
- Saudi Arabia denies involvement and says Bayoumi's assistance was benign
Quotes
Omar al-Bayoumi
Saudi national alleged in the article to have supported the 9/11 hijackers
“I will get over there... and report to you in detail what is there.”
firstpost.com
Jeffrey Breinholt
Former senior Department of Justice official who oversaw counterterrorism prosecutions after 9/11
“We’ve convicted people for less.”
firstpost.com
Sources
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