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The FBI released a document Saturday night related to possible Saudi government links to the Sept. 11 attacks. The document did not show conclusive evidence that the government was involved, but some families of 9/11 victims claimed the first release pointed toward Saudi culpability.
The release, which is expected to be the first of several more to come, follows several 9/11 families pressuring President Joe Biden to order the declassification. Many of the families have suspected the Saudi government of backing the attacks in some form, and several have brought lawsuits against the country.
The Saudi government has continually denied any involvement in the attacks.
“The Kingdom has always advocated for transparency surrounding the September 11 tragedy,” the Saudi embassy in Washington said in anticipation of the document’s release. The statement added, “No evidence has ever emerged to indicate that the Saudi government or its officials had previous knowledge of the terrorist attack or were in any way involved in its planning or execution. Any allegation that Saudi Arabia is complicit in the September 11 attacks is categorically false.”
Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were Saudi citizens.
The significantly redacted 16-page document details “significant logistic support” that two of the Saudi hijackers received in the U.S. The document related to a November 2015 interview of an individual seeking U.S. citizenship.
The individual in question had contact with people in the U.S. who offered the “logistical support” to two of the Sept. 11 hijackers.
The Washington Post wrote of the document: “Investigators were particularly interested in details about the Saudi government’s connections to Fahad al-Thumairy, a former Saudi consulate official, and Omar al-Bayoumi, a person the FBI once investigated as a possible Saudi intelligence officer.”
The document noted that an ex-wife of an unidentified individual who spoke with Bayoumi several times said he “was always talking about how the Islamic community needs to take action,” and told her and her husband that they were “at jihad.”
The document described the support Bayoumi provided to two of the hijackers as including “translation, travel assistance, lodging and financing.” It also notes that he was “treated with great respect” inside the Saudi consulate and one individual said his “status was higher than many of the Saudi persons in charge of the Consulate.”
Families of 9/11 victims commended the document’s release and claimed it demonstrated that the Saudi government is tied to the attacks.
“Now the Saudis’ secrets are exposed, and it is well past time for the Kingdom to own up to its officials’ roles in murdering thousands on American soil,” Terry Strada of 9/11 Families United said in a statement.
Brett Eagleson, whose father was killed in the attacks and who played a large role in pushing for declassification, released a statement saying that it was “particularly meaningful” that the first release came on the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
“Today marks the moment when the Saudis cannot rely on the U.S. government from hiding the truth about 9/11,” he said. “The release of the 2016 FBI Operation Encore Final Review accelerates our pursuit of truth and justice against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the worst terrorist attack to occur on U.S. soil.”
Eagleson added: “We look forward to more transparency and releases of information from the Biden administration that finally provide the American people the truth they have long-deserved, while our resolve strengthens to hold the Saudi government fully accountable for the tremendous pain and losses we suffered.”
