Report on 9/11 Suggests a Role by Saudi Spies; may have reported to Saudi government

New York Times ^ | 08-01-03

[Brian S]

Report on 9/11 Suggests a Role by Saudi Spies By JAMES RISEN and DAVID JOHNSTON

ASHINGTON, Aug. 1 — The classified part of a Congressional report on the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, says that two Saudi citizens who had at least indirect links with two hijackers were probably Saudi intelligence agents and may have reported to Saudi government officials, according to people who have seen the report.

These findings, according to several people who have read the report, help to explain why the classified part of the report has become so politically charged, causing strains between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Senior Saudi officials have denied any links between their government and the attacks and have asked that the section be declassified, but President Bush has refused.

People familiar with the report and who spoke on condition of not being named said that the two Saudi citizens, Omar al-Bayoumi and Osama Bassnan, operated in a complex web of financial relationships with officials of the Saudi government. The sections that focus on them draw connections between the two men, two hijackers, and Saudi officials.

The report urges further investigation of the two men and their contacts with the hijackers, because of unresolved questions about their relationship and whether they had any involvement in the 9/11 plot.

The edited 28-page section of the report, produced by a joint panel of the House and Senate intelligence committees, also says that a Muslim cleric in San Diego was a central figure in a support network that aided the same two hijackers. Most connections drawn in the report between the men, Saudi intelligence and the attacks are circumstantial, several people who have read the report said.

The unclassified parts of the report also suggest a connection between Mr. al-Bayoumi and Saudi intelligence. The report says that "one of the F.B.I.'s best sources in San Diego informed the F.B.I. that he thought that al-Bayoumi must be an intelligence officer." The report also says that "despite the fact that he was a student, al-Bayoumi had access to seemingly unlimited funding from Saudi Arabia."

The joint inquiry's investigation of Mr. al-Bayoumi and Mr. Bassnan centered on their activities three years ago when they were living in San Diego. The report concluded that the two men were crucial to understanding the events leading up to the plot, largely because of Mr. al-Bayoumi's extensive contacts with two of the 9/11 hijackers, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, after they settled in San Diego in early 2000. There is no definitive evidence that Mr. Bassnan knew the hijackers, but the report describes him as a close associate of Mr. al-Bayoumi.

One unresolved issue in the classified part of the report concerned Mr. Bassnan's visit to Houston after the attacks. While Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah met with President Bush, Mr. Bassnan met with a Saudi in his entourage, according to the report. It is not known what they discussed.

In San Diego, Mr. al-Bayoumi was employed by a contractor to the Saudi civil aviation authority, and received payments authorized by a Saudi official. But Congressional officials believe he was a "ghost employee" of the contractor who did no actual work. The payments authorized by the Saudi official increased significantly after Mr. al-Bayoumi came in contact with the two hijackers in early 2000, the classified part of the report states.

According to the unclassified parts of the report, Mr. al-Bayoumi first befriended Mr. al-Mihdhar and Mr. al-Hazmi in January 2000 when they arrived in Los Angeles from Bangkok, after attending a meeting in Malaysia with other operatives of al Qaeda. The two men stayed in Mr. al-Bayoumi's apartment for several days. He helped them find their own apartment, paid their first month's rent and security deposit, and threw a party to help them get settled in the local Arabic community.

Law enforcement officials have said, though, that Mr. Almidhar repaid Mr. al-Bayoumi and added that there was no evidence Mr. al-Bayoumi or Mr. Bassnan ever provided any other money to Mr. Almidhar or Mr. Hazmi. That point, the officials said, helps to explain why Mr. al-Bayoumi has not been accused of any crime, like providing material support to terrorists.

Law enforcement officials have played down the significance of the connection between Mr. al-Bayoumi and the two hijackers, saying there is no evidence that Mr. al-Bayoumi knew of the 9/11 plot. They dismissed the tone of the report, which they say portrays the possible links between the plot and Saudi Arabian officials as clearer and more direct than is actually known.

F.B.I. and C.I.A. officials have also said that they are not certain why Mr. al-Bayoumi was in San Diego, and that they are not certain of his exact relationship with the Saudi government. Some officials said that even if he was not a professional Saudi intelligence officer, he may have had some informal role. It is possible, they believe, that he was assigned to monitor the activities of Saudi students and other expatriates in the United States.

Investigators said that the role of the Muslim cleric who the report says served as a "spiritual adviser" to the two hijackers is central to an understanding of what happened in San Diego. The cleric is not named in the declassified section of the report, but officials identified him as Anwar Aulaqi. He is said to have held meetings with the two hijackers, and when he moved to Falls Church, Va., in 2001, the two hijackers moved as well and began to attend the mosque with which the cleric was now associated. Officials said that the report made clear that the cleric's role needs to be investigated further.

Today, 46 Democratic senators asked that the deleted material be released, saying the national security issues Mr. Bush cited as the reason the material was classified could be addressed by careful editing. Republicans, including Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, a former Intelligence Committee chairman, have also called for its release.

Several Congressional officials familiar with the report say that only a small part of the classified section dealing with the specifics of F.B.I. counterintelligence and counterterrorism activities should remain classified. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said, "Keeping this material classified only strengthens the theory that some in the U.S. government are hellbent on covering up for the Saudis."

National Security Council officials are leading an interagency delegation to Saudi Arabia this weekend to discuss with Saudi officials investigations into the financing of terrorism. The Americans may also ask Saudi permission to interview Mr. al-Bayoumi, who is reportedly now in Saudi Arabia, officials said.

After 9/11, Mr. al-Bayoumi was briefly interviewed in Britain, but has never returned to the United States to face in-depth questioning.

[Brian S]

Debka hinted as much earlier, NYT publishes it, Scarbrough says its breaking on AP, so...here it is.

[Numbers Guy]

As someone said in January, when "The Kingdom" said we couldn't use Saudi Arabia as a base for invading Iraq, "but Iraq will make an excellent base for invading Saudi Arabia".

[MikeWUSAF]

I KNEW IT!

W should make Saudi Arabia flat, black and glowing tonight!

Just like the Pentagon report said, "Saudi Arabia is the kernel of terrorism."

[Brian S]

AP seems to be confirming...:

AP News Alert

The Associated Press
Friday, August 1, 2003; 10:50 PM

WASHINGTON –– Classified sections of congressional terrorism report raise possibility some acquaintances of hijackers tied to Saudi government or intelligence, officials say.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said, "Keeping this material classified only strengthens the theory that some in the U.S. government are hellbent on covering up for the Saudis."

This is a good way to run to the right of Bush on national security. Americans don't view the Saudis in a very positive light; it's smart to pander to that. They can say that if Bush were serious about avenging 9/11, he'd make sure that every person involved in 9/11 in any country in the world would be brought to justice-- even those in Saudi Arabia. It's a great argument because it's hard for Bush to explain the intracies of his policy to the average American.

They could run on that and unfair trade and our trade deficit and visa abuse with China, India, etc., and cut a pretty broad stripe into the Joe Sixpack voter.

[Brian S]

AP version just hitting the wires:

Secret report suggests hijacker acquaintances connected to Saudi government, sources say
JOHN J. LUMPKIN and JOHN SOLOMON, Associated Press Writers
Friday, August 1, 2003
©2003 Associated Press

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/08/01/national2302EDT0745.DTL


(08-01) 20:17 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

Classified sections of Congress' Sept. 11 report lay out a web of connections among Saudi businessmen, royal family, charities and banks that may have aided al-Qaida or the suicide hijackers, according to people who have seen the report.

The report raises the possibility that one or more Saudi men who were connected to some of the hijackers or their acquaintances were tied to Saudi intelligence. It also suggests a Muslim imam in the United States may have been a facilitator for some hijackers, the sources said, speaking only on condition of anonymity.

U.S. investigators are setting out anew to determine whether the connections are innocent coincidences in an Islamic culture that urges charitable support or a pattern of pro-terror money and patronage flowing from the wealthy kingdom that is a longtime U.S. ally, according to government officials familiar with those efforts.

Some of the most sensitive information in a 28-page classified section of the report involves what U.S. agencies are doing currently to investigate Saudi business figures and organizations, the officials said.

The congressional investigators, however, warn the leads they have dug up for the FBI and CIA to pursue are at times contradictory or circumstantial. U.S. intelligence and FBI investigators view the evidence of ties to Saudi intelligence as unclear, the officials said.

"On the one hand, it is possible that these kinds of connections could suggest, as indicated in a CIA memorandum, 'incontrovertible evidence that there is support for these terrorists,"' one passage from the unclassified section of the report states. "On the other hand, it is also possible that further investigation of these allegations could reveal legitimate, and innocent, explanations for these associations."

Top Saudi officials call for the public release of the still-secret sections of the report that deal with possible Saudi terror connections and say it is ridiculous to suggest the royal family would deliberately fund an al-Qaida movement dedicated to its overthrow.

Adel al-Jubeir, a Saudi foreign policy adviser, said his government hasn't seen the classified section of the report but based on the Saudis' own terrorism investigation believes much of the evidence is likely uncorroborated.

"One of the reasons we believe the intelligence community insisted on classification of that section is it could not confirm or agree with what the joint inquiry report says," al-Jubeir said.

Osama bin Laden, a Saudi by birth, was excommunicated from his homeland in the mid-1990s for his advocacy of violence against the United States and his threats to overthrow the Saudi royal family for allowing U.S. troops on Saudi soil during the 1991 Gulf War.

FBI officials are seeking to question, anew, Saudi businessman Omar al-Bayoumi, who during his time in San Diego threw a welcoming party for eventual hijackers Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi and who put down money for their rent deposit and first month's rent.

Al-Bayoumi left the United States two months before the suicide hijackings of Sept. 11, 2001, and settled in Britain, where Princess Faisal's brother, Prince Turki al-Faisal, was serving as ambassador after a stint as chief of Saudi intelligence.

Several such connections to Saudi government officials have led some in Congress to question if al-Bayoumi was a Saudi intelligence agent -- an allegation al-Jubeir denies. Saudi officials say British and U.S. officials questioned al-Bayoumi immediately after the attacks and released him.

A lawyer for three central witnesses in the Sept. 11 investigation said the FBI also may have an interest in videotapes al-Bayoumi took of numerous events at an Islamic center in San Diego, including the party for two hijackers.

Al-Bayoumi "had a video camera at that party. He and his video camera were inseparable," attorney Randall Hamud said in an interview Friday. "In fact, one of my clients even held the camera for a while at that party."

The classified report, as well as other sensitive intelligence gathered by U.S. investigators, focuses on a series of financial transactions and movements by Saudi citizens and royalty.

Key among them are checks Prince Bandar, the U.S. ambassador to the United States, and his wife, Princess Haifa al-Faisal, made out to a couple who were acquaintances of al-Bayoumi.

Saudi officials say Bandar and al-Faisal transferred tens of thousands of dollars to a Saudi named Osama Basnan and his Jordanian wife, Magda Ibrahim Dweikat.

Al-Jubeir said Bandar gave charitable donations to Basnan to help cover his wife's medical bills starting in 1998 and that al-Faisal separately gave regular monthly payments to Dweikat, who used her maiden name, which would not call attention to her marriage to Basnan.

Al-Jubeir said Saudi investigators traced every payment -- which totaled more than $100,000 -- and found evidence two or three of the princess' checks to Dweikat were signed over to al-Bayoumi's wife. Saudi officials found no evidence that money was transferred to the hijackers or even used by al-Bayoumi when he assisted the hijackers, he said.

He said the money the prince and princess gave was among millions they've donated to help Saudis living in the United States.

FBI officials obtained information about Basnan, who was charged with visa violations after Sept. 11 and eventually sent back to Saudi Arabia, "clearly indicating that Basnan is an extremist and bin Laden supporter," the congressional report concludes.

In a classified section of the report, congressional investigators also trace his movements after Sept. 11, raising the possibility he went to Houston to meet with a Saudi figure with intelligence ties who had come with royal family members when they met with President Bush in Texas.

Among other connections, the report states that a U.S.-based imam who had been on the FBI's radar before Sept. 11 served as a spiritual adviser for two of the hijackers and his mosques may have facilitated the hijackers on both coasts.

The congressional report says the FBI dropped pre-Sept inquiries about the imam, which it does not identify, "despite the imam's contacts with other subjects of counterterrorism interest and reports concerning the imam's connection to suspect organizations."

©2003 Associated Press

[eldoradude]

Time to declare war on Saudi Arabia. Our economy would improve tremendously with cheap oil.

[Brian S]

Perhaps we do need to "liberate" the people of Saudia Arabia...

[xm177e2]

Perhaps we do need to "liberate" the people of Saudia Arabia...

We need to "liberate" the royalty from this mortal coil, and turn over Saudi Arabia to all of the poor Arabs and non-Arab guest workers who have suffered so much abuse at the hands of the Saudis.

[eddie willers]

I take it Pat Leahy been making phone calls.

[BenR2]

I'm sorry, but I have all but lost confidence in GWB's willingness to oppose his Saudi business buddies.

GWB's current "coziness" with 1972 Olympic Terrorist-backer Abu Mazen is LARGELY at the behest of his Saudi buddies, who UNDERWRITE the Palies to the tune of some $4BILLION per annum.

Action; not words is what matters.

I would LOVE to be proven wrong about GWB on this matter, by the way, . . .

But so far I have not been.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Saudi Arabia should be getting the same anal exam that Iraq is undergoing now. But the cowardly and inept State Department will not go along. Time for this cesspool to be drained and flamed.

[MJY1288]

I think Leahy was kicked off the Intel committee a while back.

The real problem right now is who leaked this info? This kind of stuff could get some of our contacts and maybe even some of our agents killed. The Saudi's have a lot of explaining to do if this info is accurate and they will have to start handing over those involved pronto or face the music

[Donna Lee Nardo]

or any of the other committee members.

[Brian S]

This kind of stuff could get some of our contacts and maybe even some of our agents killed

From what it reads, this plus Debka earlier, I think some of "our contacts" need to be killed. Who the hell can you trust? Lying bastards, whores to the highest bidder, all.

[Terp]

I take it Pat Leahy been making phone calls.

Actually if you read the article closely it mentions "sources" and mentions "officials". If those who wrote these articles are to believed there was more than one making phone calls.

[FairOpinion]

Also a more honest article points out that there are contradictory information and no solid evidence. The report merely "raises the possibility", does NOT prove any connection.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/6440242.htm

"The report raises the possibility that one or more Saudi men who were connected to some of the hijackers or their acquaintances were tied to Saudi intelligence. It also suggests a Muslim imam in the United States may have been a facilitator for some hijackers, the sources said, speaking only on condition of anonymity.

The congressional investigators, however, warn the leads they have dug up for the FBI and CIA to pursue are at times contradictory or circumstantial. U.S. intelligence and FBI investigators view the evidence of ties to Saudi intelligence as unclear, the officials said."

[Husker24]

As much as this disturbes me to say this and as disgusting as it is, if this is true and Bush gives the Saudies a pass on it, then I hope the Democrats make a hell of a big deal about it. Because someone sure as hell should.

[MJY1288]

I wouldn't believe anything from Debka, if these stories are based off anything Debka has printed, this is most likely bunk

[Husker24]

Perhaps we do need to "liberate" the people of Saudia Arabia.

These people dont want to be liberated, the run of the mill people are even more psycotic than the government.

[ConservativeMan55]

This is series.

[Brian S]

I wouldn't believe anything from Debka,

I didn't, until the AP Wire started chattering basically the same info.

As to the Saudi people and liberation, the German, Japanese and Iraqi people probably didn't want to be 'liberated' either...but we did anyway.

[Brian S]

And hugh...if true! :)

[optimistically_conservative]

As much as this disturbes me to say this and as disgusting as it is, if this is true and Bush gives the Saudies a pass on it, then I hope the Democrats make a hell of a big deal about it. Because someone sure as hell should.

Let me get this straight. The Democrats, who have denied actual de-classified intelligence and foreign intelligence reports of ties between Iraqi intelligence services and AQ are going to take Bush to task for not acting on still classified, anonymously sourced, contradicting and inconclusive reports of Saudi connections to AQ?

There is no question there are Saudi ties to AQ and the highjackers. 15/19 of the 911 attackers were Saudis. The question is, what's you're strategy for Saudi Arabia/Royal Saud family in the WoT?

[okie01]

Is there anything in here that we didn't already know?

The connections with al-Bayoumi and Basnan, plus the Muslim cleric in San Diego, have been generally known for...how long? Twelve, maybe eighteen, months?

The only news here is that al-Bayoumi and Basnan may have had some connection with Saudi intelligence. But this seems based more on speculation than any firm evidence.

On that basis, I can clearly see why this part of the report has been classified. It's a circumstantial construction, full of guesswork and speculation. As such, it's not fit to serve as the basis for any official accusations. Or media manipulation...

[FairOpinion]

Bottom line:

Do we trust Bush to deal with the world and Saudi, on his own time, based on seeing the big picture, or do we fall prey to the Democrats' drumbeat, who are perfectly willing to screw up our war on terror and everything else, to attack Bush.

Also note that other articles specifically mention that there is no real evidence in the 28 pages, the "evidence" is circumstantial, inconclusive, and contradictory.

NO Smoking Gun in Report

[JediForce]

Somebody wanted this out ...maybe someone inside the administration has had enough of these Islamic nuts.

[FairOpinion]

The Democrats are trying to make Bush look bad. That's the real agenda.

[Monty22]

The strategy should be B83 strategic bombs used on Saudi Arabia for this insanity.

That's the absolute only way to deal with this. This is just crazy, and Bush better not let this slide or I'm not voting next election.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Anything out of a RAT mouth is a lie.

Much of this foreign policy mess ACROSS THE WORLD is a direct result of having a RAT clown in the White House for 8 yrs.

And you are ready to listen to anything they say?

[MJY1288]

I can't help but wonder why the 28 blank pages in the 9/11 report weren't just simply left out???

Something tells me they were left in there in order to shake people up and get them talking. We all knew that the Saudi's were donating money to any terrorist group that asked for it. Wasn't Prince Bandar's wife guilty of giving money directly to one of the 19 hi-jackers?

I believe there is more to this than GWB shielding any Saudi Business buddies, Not to mention I seriously doubt GWB has ever struck a deal with any of them. I have a hard time believing the wild theory out there by the tinfoilers that the Carlyle Group had some hidden deals going down with the Bin-Laden family and the Saudi's.

There must be 50,000 democratic hacks pouring over every transaction connected with the Carlyle Group since day one, if there was any back room deals going down that involved this administration in any way the democrats would be screaming from the rooftops for hisd Impeachment. These useless democrats have been attacking this President even before he was sworn in and each and everytime so far, they have come away with egg on their faces. Something tells me that this time will be no different

[FairOpinion]

"On that basis, I can clearly see why this part of the report has been classified. It's a circumstantial construction, full of guesswork and speculation. As such, it's not fit to serve as the basis for any official accusations. Or media manipulation... "

---

Of course. Note that the same Democrats who were screaming that the 12 years of evidence on Saddam's WMD was not solid enough, now consider these speculations a "smoking gun". All they are trying to do is to throw a monkey wrench into our War on Terror and make Bush look bad, never mind the consequences to the country.

[okie01]

Good point. Let me repeat that...

Also note that other articles specifically mention that there is no real evidence in the 28 pages, the "evidence" is circumstantial, inconclusive, and contradictory.

There is nothing in here that we didn't already know -- save some speculation based on contradictory reports and inconclusive evidence.

Having failed with the Niger Incident, the media and the Democrats are now trying to turn L'affaire al-Bayoumi, et al into more Bush bashing agitprop.

We don't need to be a party to it.

[optimistically_conservative]

The strategy should be B83 strategic bombs used on Saudi Arabia for this insanity.

That's the absolute only way to deal with this. This is just crazy, and Bush better not let this slide or I'm not voting next election.

That's great hyperbole. So, Bush has been letting the WoT slide? I don't care if you vote or not, it's your idiocy at stake, not mine.

[wideminded]

The report also says that "despite the fact that he was a student, al-Bayoumi had access to seemingly unlimited funding from Saudi Arabia."

I don't know if this is true anymore, but in the early 80's many Saudi Arabian students in the US had access to "seemingly unlimited funding". For instance the Saudi government would not only pay their tuition, but buy them a house to live in.

[Brian S]

One only has to wonder what other Country of this planet could "demand" an audience with the President of the United States and be granted such a request in the short order that the "House of Saud" dictated earlier this week.

I found it strange at the time and even more so now...

[okie01]

Lord, I am coming to truly hate the mainstream media.

One might argue that they have become America's (and freedom's) greatest enemy.

[FairOpinion]

I don't want to turn this into a "mutual admiration society" ;) but let me repeat what you just said:

"Having failed with the Niger Incident, the media and the Democrats are now trying to turn L'affaire al-Bayoumi, et al into more Bush bashing agitprop.

We don't need to be a party to it. "

---

I hope Freepers and the conservative media stops and thinks first and won't jump onto the Democrats' Bush bashing bandwagon, using the Saudi Trojan Horse.

[Brian S]

Also note that other articles specifically mention that there is no real evidence in the 28 pages, the "evidence" is circumstantial, inconclusive, and contradictory.

Then publish the 28 pages and get it over with. That would end the "mystery" now wouldn't it.

Call in the moles, spies, etc. (which we can't trust anyway) and tell them the gig's up.

Let the pages fly. Better yet, do it tomorrow, so all the Sunday talkie shows can pick over it and get it over with. End of problem...

[Monty22]

If Bush knows who did 9/11, and lets them off.. You're damn right that's it for me. Should be for everyone.

[optimistically_conservative]

If Bush knows who did 9/11, and lets them off.. You're damn right that's it for me. Should be for everyone.

Where have you been? I know who "did" 9/11, why Afghanistan and Iraq were important to deny, dismantle and diminish our enemies, and why North Korea, Iran and Iraq were name as the "axis of evil."

JAY-SUS, have you been paying attention and thinking this through?

[okie01]

"Then publish the 28 pages and get it over with. That would end the "mystery" now wouldn't it."

Not if the 28 pages are a collection of inconclusive and contradictory evidence, mixed with half-baked speculation.

This would make it a worthwhile intelligence document, but hardly something worth airing in public.

Get a grip.

[okie01]

Ping to #33.

Your common sense regarding how we should view provocative liberal media reports is needed here.

[optimistically_conservative]

Call in the moles, spies, etc. (which we can't trust anyway) and tell them the gig's up.

That's stupifying. I'd be speechless if I could stop swearing.

[CWOJackson]

"I hope Freepers and the conservative media stops and thinks first and won't jump onto the Democrats' Bush bashing bandwagon, using the Saudi Trojan Horse."

For some here no excuse is too flimsy to not bash Bush with.

[optimistically_conservative]

stupifying -> stupefying

[Brian S]

Not if the 28 pages are a collection of inconclusive and contradictory evidence, mixed with half-baked speculation.

So instead we have a media frenzy of "inconclusive, contradictory evidence mixed with half-baked speculation"...

That is preferable?

This "inconclusive, contradictory evidence mixed with half-baked speculation" will be the topic of ALL the Sunday Talkies...and you can "get my grip" on that!

[LayoutGuru2]

So is there a word used in Washington for information that is not supposed to be available to the general public and to the rest of the world. When I was growing up we called it classified, they must be using some new word that I am not familiar with. =)

[MJY1288]

For all we know it's just a ploy to get Bin Laden to surface, Osama bin Laden condemned the Royal Family for it's involvement with us during the Gulf War and the Saudi's revoked his citsenship. There is no doubt that OBL would like nothing better than to drive a wedge between us and the Saudi's and it had to be easy to recruit Saudi's who didn't appreciate our presence in Sauid Arabia.

I have always believed that OBL intentionally recruited Saudi's for the 9/11 attacks in hopes we would attack the Saudi Royal Family with hundreds of Cruise Missiles, after all that was our pattern for 8 years of Clinton. It would make sense to get OBL's Saudi recruits to seek funding from the highest levels in the Saudi Royal Family as they could in order to leave a trail.

[Brian S]

Anything labeled congressional report, such as this is, should automatically be assumed as "unclassifed" whether deemed "classified" or not.

I would have liked to think that the White House realized this when they "blackout" 28 pages. They should have realized this would be a "lightning rod".

Things haven't been right at the White House since Karen Hughes left...Karen, where are you????