FBI releases first 9/11 document after Biden order

CNN

By Evan Perez, CNN Justice Correspondent
Picture Courtesy: CNN
Picture Courtesy: CNN

Washington, DC (CNN) The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday released the first of what is expected to be several documents related to its investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and suspected Saudi government support for the hijackers, following an executive order by President Joe Biden.

The newly declassified document, which is from 2016, provides details of the FBI's work to investigate the alleged logistical support that a Saudi consular official and a suspected Saudi intelligence agent in Los Angeles provided to at least two of the men who hijacked planes on September 11, 2001. The document, released on the 20th anniversary of the deadly attacks, still contains significant redactions.

It details multiple connections and witness testimony that prompted FBI suspicion of Omar al-Bayoumi, who was purportedly a Saudi student in Los Angeles but whom the FBI suspected to be a Saudi intelligence agent. The FBI document describes him as deeply involved in providing "travel assistance, lodging and financing" to help the two hijackers.

The Saudi embassy in Washington, DC, previously said Wednesday that it "welcomes the release of" the FBI documents and that "any allegation that Saudi Arabia is complicit in the September 11 attacks is categorically false."

Publish : 2021-09-12 16:29:00

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