White House defends FBI probe into Saudi links to attacks

Associated Press / SFGate

[RCW2001]

KEN GUGGENHEIM, Associated Press Writer
Saturday, November 23, 2002
©2002 Associated Press

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/11/23/national1505EST0579.DTL

(11-23) 14:47 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

The White House on Saturday defended the FBI's handling of a diplomatically sensitive investigation into reports that Saudi Arabia provided money that helped support two of the Sept. 11 hijackers.

A spokesman for the Saudi embassy said the allegations that the wife of the Saudi ambassador supported terrorists are "untrue and irresponsible."

Nail al-Jubeir, the spokesman, said Princess Haifa al-Faisal is fully cooperating with the FBI.

"She wants her name cleared," al-Jubeir said.

In its defense of the FBI, the Bush administration also denied another contention of some lawmakers -- that the bureau has not done enough to examine fully the financing of the 19 hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudi citizens.

Questions about the investigation could become troublesome for the Bush administration, which is seeking the Saudis' help for a possible military campaign against their neighbor, Iraq. Saudi Arabia has been noncommittal, torn between its friendship with the United States and anti-war sentiment among the Arabs.

Members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, which are conducting a joint inquiry into the Sept. 11 attacks, expressed misgivings about the FBI investigation. Lawmakers believe the bureau has not examined vigorously the prospect that the Saudi government might have given money to two men who provided financial help to hijackers Khalif al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi.

A congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the issue is part of a broader concern that the FBI has done too little overall to determine how last year's attacks were paid for and by whom.

Dan Bartlett, an administration spokesman who accompanied President Bush to a NATO summit in Europe, said the FBI has been investigating the Saudi link, "and I'm not going to prejudge the conclusion of that investigation."

"As anyone who knows this issue will tell you, it's very difficult to track financing of terrorist networks, because most of it is done in cash," he said. "I don't agree with the assessment it's not been aggressively pursued."

Sen. Ron Wyden, a member of the Intelligence Committee, would not discuss details of the financing investigation but said, "So much of the focus on Iraq has clearly taken a toll with respect to some of the vigilance and oversight that needs to apply to others in the region."

He also said he has been dissatisfied with Saudi cooperation in the congressional investigation.

"I do think the administration should be pushing the Saudis more to be helpful to our country. I think they need us more than we need them," said Wyden, D-Ore.

Both al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. They lived briefly in San Diego and are believed to have received help there from Omar al-Bayoumi and Osama Basnan.

Newsweek reported on its Web site that the FBI uncovered financial records that show payments to an al-Bayoumi bank account from a Washington account in the name of Princess Haifa al-Faisal, wife of the Saudi ambassador and a daughter of the late King Faisal.

Sources said the payments were about $3,500 a month. The money filtered into the al-Bayoumi family's bank account in early 2000, just a few months after al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi arrived in Los Angeles from an al-Qaida planning conference in Malaysia, Newsweek said.

Payments for roughly the same amount began flowing every month to Basnan.

Al-Jubeir said the princess hasn't given money to al-Bayoumi at all.

"There is absolutely no check," he said.

She did help the Basnan family with a check for $15,000 in April 1998 and regular payments from Dec. 4, 1999 through May, and Saudi officials are trying to find out why they needed assistance, al-Jubeir said.

They do know the wife is sick and received medical treatment in San Diego, he said.

In a statement, the FBI refused to give details of its investigation but said: "Since the terrorist attacks of 9-11, the FBI has aggressively pursued investigative leads regarding terrorist support and activity."

It said al-Bayoumi and Basnan face visa fraud charges. Al-Bayoumi was detained on that charge in Britain, but it was not an extraditable offense and he was released. It is not known whether Basnan is in custody.

Basnan was deported to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 17 and they believe his wife was deported to Jordan two weeks earlier, al-Jubeir said.

"There was no linkage found between them and the terrorists," he said. "The only reason he became a person of interest to the FBI was his relation to al-Bayoumi."

Saudi Arabia has said it is cooperating with the United States in fighting terrorism and considers Osama bin Laden a threat to the kingdom. The alleged terrorist mastermind was born in Saudi Arabia to a wealthy family, but the government has taken away his citizenship.

U.S. presidents have been long reluctant to criticize Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer and a crucial Arab ally. Others have aired suspicions about Saudi ties to the terrorists. A $1 trillion federal lawsuit filed by relatives of the Sept. 11 victims accuses members of the Saudi royal family, the government and Saudi banks and businesses of financing the plot.

In an appearance Friday with President Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted of a Saudi financial link to terrorists. "We should not forget about those who finance terrorism," he said, then immediately noted that most of the Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudi.

Preliminary reports from the congressional inquiry have criticized the FBI and CIA's efforts to fight terrorism before the Sept. 11 attacks, particularly their failure to share information before the attacks -- especially intelligence about al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi.

Wyden said he expects the questions about Saudi financing will be included in the joint inquiry's final report. A classified version is expected in December, an unclassified version early next year.

"It would be derelict not to raise it," he said.

©2002 Associated Press  

[Lurker]

First Hussein, then the House of Saud....

L

[recalcitrant]

Sen. Ron Wyden, a member of the Intelligence Committee, would not discuss details of the financing investigation but said, "So much of the focus on Iraq has clearly taken a toll with respect to some of the vigilance and oversight that needs to apply to others in the region."

---

CLEARLY this is the INTENT of this administration with the war on Iraq. Sadaam needs to fry, but no more than the Saudis. We are being misled in our anger to use Iraq as the whipping boy for the evils done by saudis; their people, their religious leaders and their royal family who is the government.

Just what part of "responsible for 9-11" doesn't fit the saudis INSTEAD of Iraq?


I mean, WHO really attacked us on 9-11 was the evil house of saud. I am sure sadaam did a jig... but saudis paid for the music, the party favors and the killer's salaries.

Why cheer on the war on the WRONG priority.
Sauds did not even apologize... they told us to ask ourselves: "Why do arabs hate America?"

Bush is WRONG to coddle them or continue our alliance with them.

[recalcitrant]

Do you really believe that will happen?
WHY do you think so?

[aristeides]

Aren't al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi the two hijackers that were on the watch list?

[jwalsh07]

First Hussein, then the House of Saud....

Exactly my thoughts but I didn't have the cojones to post it. :-}

[aristeides]

Establishing a democracy in Iraq is the best way to be rid of the House of Saud.

[Endeavor]

I still believe there needs to be an independent investigation of why our security/intelligence organizations were so totally unprepared for the events of Sept 11th. I used to be against such an investigation, not seeing the need to spend money on an outside group and feeling that surely congress would do a good job at examining the evidence. I no longer feel that way.

It sounds as if Wyden is simply posturing, playing politics. I think many pols are doing just that with homeland security issues.

I'd also like to know why the heck we don't put troops on the borders. Lastly, I'd like to know how a dept of homeland security can do what it's supposed to do when the FBI and CIA don't come under its' purview.


And (I know I said finally above, but there's one more), why haven't we put a hold on US immigration/visitation of ALL muslims - whether they be from Iraq or Chechnya or Bosnia?

[Endeavor]

I think the House of Saud is funding the radical islamists to bribe them, thus making it less likely they'll (the terrorists) kill the fatted calf.

[Ben Bolt]

Bump to that . Backhoe replied to a thread a few days ago with some terrific links full of information about this very subject .

[dalebert]

Why should the White House have to defend any investigation of the Saudis? I think there is just a lot of politics being played with all this. We have been investigating them all the time and some buzzard on the committee wants to make hay with it as usual. Note the slur against taking on Iraqu.We have increased border agents and intend to do more. Little Tommy Daschle didn't think we should do anything until he could think about it for a long long time.

[RightWhale]

the Bush administration, which is seeking the Saudis' help for a possible military campaign against their neighbor, Iraq

The Saudis already said, NO, so what difference does it make? The only thing left is the oil, and that is nothing but business.

[Cicero]

It remains to be seen how it will play out, but it makes good sense for Bush to move into Iraq and secure the oil before he attempts to do anything about Saudi Arabia.

If he overthrows Saddam, that may well be a signal for the radical Islamists and other malcontents to overthrow the House of Saud. That would be all to the good, because then we could move in and stabilize the situation, and not be responsible for deposing an old ally directly.

That seems to me the best way to do it, but we are not going to know what Bush really intends to do about the Saudis until it happens--or doesn't happen. He certainly isn't about to stir things up with Arabia right now.

[Bacons Rebellion]

I would agree with you that the establishment of a democracy in Iraq will probably lead to the downfall of the House of Saud.

What I am considerably less certain about is whether representative government or democracy in the Islamic world is going to bring about conditions that will be favorable to the United States. I suppose that our best hope is that the result of such a democratization of the Middle East would lead to the development of more secular and less Islamic states. That, however, seems more of a hope than a certainty.

[truth_seeker]

"What I am considerably less certain about is whether representative government or democracy in the Islamic world is going to bring about conditions that will be favorable to the United States."

Think of mullah dictatorship Iran. Supposedly they have elections. But the policies voted by the elected representatives, can be vetoed, by the mullahs.

This is how it works 23 years after the revolution. The citizenry there wants change.

So in the short term, the arab nations might turn to an islamic dictatorship (Iran, Afghanistan) but after some experience, they MAY desire something better.

Two key words are MAY, for I no longer assume that these people are rational.

Other key word is desire. They might not have the commitment to change. Call it lack of moral underpinnings, cowardice, complacency, you pick a word. Probably a lot of ignorance (low literacy).

[powderhorn]

We are being misled in our anger to use Iraq as the whipping boy for the evils done by saudis; their people, their religious leaders and their royal family who is the government.

If we took on the Saudis first, we'd have Saddam at our back...not a good plan. So, while Saddam is no worse than the rest of the rabid arabs, he does hold strategic ground that must be taken first.

[Uncle Miltie]

"She wants her name cleared," al-Jubeir said.

No problem. Come back to the U.S. and waive diplomatic immunitiy.

[powderhorn]

I would agree with you that the establishment of a democracy in Iraq will probably lead to the downfall of the House of Saud. What I am considerably less certain about is whether representative government or democracy in the Islamic world is going to bring about conditions that will be favorable to the United States.

Ah, some clarity.

Yes, a successful democracy is a product of a successful culture. With the 12th century as the predominant cultural background throughout the mid east, it is not likely that any stable trade relations will develop for quite some time.

And even if they do evolve into normal, civilized states, it doesn't mean that they would take a friendly view of the US.

[weikel]

Bull**** Democracy doesn't and definitely won't work in Iraq. The best realpolitik course of action would be to hand the North to the Turks the West to king Abdullah and we take the East with the oil split among our SINCERE allies. If we want the Wahabbi cult and terrorist funding gone we will have to invade Saudi Arabia and take whatever brutal measures are neccasary to de Islamize the population at a bare minimum their clerics and any religious elements within the Saudi upper class will have to be killed. This whole Islamic fundamentalist problem is their fault they started the Wahabbi cult they could have supressed it in the 70's but didn't now by all rights they should pay the price.