A BBC Panorama and Radio 4 investigation has uncovered new video evidence that is central to a $1 trillion lawsuit filed by 9/11 families against Saudi Arabia. The footage, which was in the FBI's possession within days of the 2001 attacks, shows Omar al-Bayoumi, a man who claimed to be a student, embracing Anwar al-Awlaki, who later became a senior al-Qaeda leader, and participating in paintball sessions with a Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs official near San Diego.
The videos, never shown publicly before, were found among Bayoumi's possessions when he was arrested in the UK shortly after 9/11. They contradict his long-standing denials of any extremist ties. The investigation also revealed a handwritten diagram of a plane with a descent equation, which was couriered to the FBI but never shared with British interrogators or the 9/11 Commission. Bayoumi was released without charge.
The BBC's examination of declassified documents and interviews with dozens of agents found that FBI offices in San Diego and Los Angeles were repeatedly denied access to evidence, and that the 9/11 Commission's own staff objected to the conclusion that Bayoumi was unlikely to have been involved with extremists. The plane diagram was described by a lawyer for the 9/11 families as a 'smoking gun' linking Bayoumi to knowledge of the attacks.
Despite the significance of the evidence, the FBI has produced only one document referencing the diagram, created 11 years after its discovery. The investigation raises serious questions about whether the US regime deliberately suppressed evidence that could have implicated Saudi Arabia in the worst terrorist attack on American soil. The FBI declined to comment, and Bayoumi and the Saudi government continue to deny any involvement.
This case highlights the ongoing legal battle by 9/11 families to uncover the truth, and the apparent reluctance of US authorities to pursue leads that might have revealed Saudi complicity. The full extent of what the FBI knew and when remains unclear, but the newly released videos and documents suggest a pattern of obstruction and cover-up.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk