World News
Videos show 9/11 lawsuit figure with extremist and Saudi official, report says
Footage seized in 2001 links Omar al-Bayoumi to Anwar al-Awlaki, BBC News reports.
The short version
- Footage obtained by the FBI in 2001 shows Omar al-Bayoumi with Anwar al-Awlaki and a Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs official.[BBC News]
- A plane diagram with flight calculations seized during Bayoumi's UK arrest was withheld from British interrogators and the 9/11 Commission.[BBC News]
- Bayoumi was released in September 2001 after US officials cited insufficient evidence for extradition, and both he and Saudi Arabia deny involvement in the attacks.[BBC News]
Key facts
- Footage found among Omar al-Bayoumi's belongings shows him embracing Anwar al-Awlaki and paintballing with him and a Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs official.[BBC News]
- The FBI obtained the videos shortly after Bayoumi was arrested by UK police in September 2001.[BBC News]
- A plane diagram with flight descent calculations found among Bayoumi's property was not provided to British detectives interviewing him or to the 9/11 Commission.[BBC News]
- US Department of Justice officials declined to seek Bayoumi's extradition due to insufficient evidence, leading to his release on 28 September 2001.[BBC News]
What remains uncertain
- Both Omar al-Bayoumi and the Saudi government deny any advance knowledge of or participation in the 9/11 attacks.[BBC News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.
- New videos of man at centre of 9/11 lawsuit reveal links to extremists and Saudi stateBBC News - Top Stories