A previously overlooked individual had been in contact with two terrorists responsible for 9/11 and new evidence has suggested a deeper involvement.
The September 11 terrorist attacks may have happened over 20 years ago, but the day remains alive in the American consciousness.
Four coordinated terrorist attacks were carried out by Islamist extremists tied to al-Qaeda.
In one of the most devastating moments in American history, two commercial airplanes crashed into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City as part of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
A third plane struck the Pentagon, while a fourth crashed into a field in western Pennsylvania after courageous passengers fought back, preventing it from reaching its intended target.
The attacks claimed the lives of 2,977 innocent people.
In the aftermath, authorities launched extensive investigations, and now, a new CBS News report reveals fresh evidence tied to an individual allegedly connected to the attacks.
Saudi national Omar Al-Bayoumi had been scrutinized after 9/11, but in 2004, the 9/11 Commission described him as “an unlikely candidate for clandestine involvement with Islamic extremists.”
However, newly rediscovered evidence from Bayoumi’s 2001 apartment in the U.S. paints a very different picture. Gina Bennett, a former CIA counterterrorism analyst during the 9/11 attacks, believes critical information may have been overlooked.
Based on evidence she has reviewed, Bennett stated she believes Bayoumi “was an al-Qaeda facilitator” who provided substantial support to two of the hijackers support that may have prevented authorities from intercepting them in time.
The FBI has also asserted that Bayoumi was working as an operative for the Saudi intelligence service and maintained close connections with two of the 9/11 hijackers.
Unsealed evidence from a federal court case last year part of the 9/11 families’ lawsuit against Saudi Arabia revealed that Bayoumi had filmed detailed footage around Washington, D.C., during the summer of 1999.
The video captured entrances and exits to the Capitol building, security checkpoints, a model of the Capitol, and nearby landmarks. Bayoumi even pointed out the Washington Monument and commented on the proximity of the airport observations that retired FBI supervisor Richard Lambert said would have been highly significant in planning an attack.
The Saudi government has dismissed Bayoumi’s video as nothing more than a typical tourist recording.
However, other evidence has kept Bayoumi in the spotlight. During a 2021 deposition, Bayoumi admitted that a sketch and a handwritten equation — both found among his belongings — were his. Though he said he remembered little about them, the notes included calculations related to the plane’s altitude in miles and its distance to the horizon.
Experts have pointed out that the equation could be used by a pilot to determine the proper rate of descent to strike a target at the horizon.
Speaking through a translator, Bayoumi explained, “Perhaps this was an equation we studied back in high school, and I was simply trying to recall and solve it.”
Bayoumi also crossed paths with 9/11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar in Los Angeles in early 2000. He has maintained that their meeting was purely by chance and that he was merely helping them adjust to life in the U.S.
Following the attacks, Bayoumi returned to Saudi Arabia. He has never been formally charged with any crime.
