Omar al-Bayoumi (Arabic: عمر البيومي, romanized: ʿUmar al-Bayyūmī; born c. 1958) is a Saudi national linked to two of the 9/11 hijackers in the United States, though he says he simply befriended the pair rather than ran them as agents. Files of the US FBI dating to before the attacks demonstrate that he was a Saudi Arabian intelligence agent. An FBI report declassified in September 2021 lays out evidence that al-Bayoumi had links to known terrorists, provided significant support to 9/11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar upon their arrival in the US, and communicated with a key logistics facilitator for Osama bin Laden, each time immediately following significant logistics support to Hazmi and Mihdhar.[1][2][3] An FBI report declassified in March 2022 lays out evidence that "there is a 50/50 chance [al-Bayoumi] had advanced knowledge the 9/11 attacks were to occur." from the two Islamists he befriended that were involved in plotting 9/11. al-Bayoumi also helped the Islamists find housing in San Diego.[4]
Saudi Arabia claims that al-Bayoumi is not an agent of theirs.[2] According to previously-classified memoranda released by the National Archives in May 2016, as of 6 June 2003, the FBI "believes it is possible that he was an agent of the Saudi Government and that he may have been reporting on the local [Saudi] community to the Saudi Government officials. In addition, during its investigation, the FBI discovered that al-Bayoumi has ties to terrorist elements as well."[5]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
FBI-EncoreReport2016was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Mathis-Lilley, Ben (April 11, 2016). "Your Guide to the 28 Classified Pages About Saudi Arabia and 9/11 That Obama Might Release". Slate. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "FBI begins declassifying documents into Saudi 9/11 links". BBC News. 2021-09-12. Archived from the original on 2021-09-12. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
- ^ Kelly, Mike (2022-03-13). "Exclusive: New FBI documents link Saudi spy in California to 9/11 attacks - Mike Kelly". NorthJersey.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
- ^ "Memos on Alleged Saudi-Affiliated Support of the 9/11 Attacks". The New York Times. 2016-05-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
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