The FBI declassified and released a 16-page document Saturday revealing the logistical support given to two Saudi hijackers before 9/11.
The document outlines an interview that the FBI conducted with a Saudi man who was in frequent contact with other Saudis in the U.S. and who gave the hijackers “significant logistical support.” Fifteen of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudis, according to Fox News. (RELATED: Senators Call For Declassification Of 9/11 Documents Related To Saudi Arabia)
SECRET FBI 9/11 Files: Newly declassified docs undercut long-standing claims to 9/11 Commission Saudi had chance meeting with two hijackers in LA before helping them settle in San Diego. Last week @CBSNews had 1st TV interview FBI agent “Operation Encore.”pic.twitter.com/iIWV4Z92Eq
— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) September 12, 2021
In 2018, families of 9/11 victims asked former President Donald Trump to declassify files related to 9/11.
“Documents are important for us because they reveal the extent of Saudi Arabia’s involvement with the terrorists and the attacks, and those documents also reveal the way in which both U.S. presidents and top officials quashed the investigation and covered up the Saudi role,” said Jim Kreindler, a lawyer for the families of 9/11 victims said.
President Joe Biden asked the FBI and other government agencies for a declassification review Sept. 3.
“The findings and conclusions in this FBI investigation validate the arguments we have made in the litigation regarding the Saudi government’s responsibility for the 9/11 attacks,” said Kreindler, according to Fox News. “This document, together with the public evidence gathered to date, provides a blueprint for how (al Qaeda) operated inside the US with the active, knowing support of the Saudi government.”
Saudi national Omar al-Bayoumi, who had connections to the government, helped hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar find an apartment in San Diego when they arrived in the U.S. The Saudi man who was interviewed by the FBI knew Bayoumi, Fox News reported.
Bayoumi said he met the hijackers in a “chance encounter” at a restaurant. The FBI tried several times to determine whether or not that was accurate during the interview, the outlet reported.
The document reveals that the hijackers were in contact with Saudi associates in the U.S., but it does not prove that Saudi government officials were involved, according to the outlet.
Saudi Arabia has denied participation in the attacks and the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., endorses complete declassification of all related records, Fox News reported.