9/11 Attack Information Concerning Saudis and Saudi Arabia Collected by the FBI and Related Agencies

Description

9/11 Investigation: Timeline, Characters, and Saudi Connections

Before September 11, 2001 (Specific dates not provided in source):

• Hijackers’ Activities in the U.S.: Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, two of the 9/11 hijackers, are in San Diego.
• Relationship with Mohdar Abdullah: Mohdar Abdullah, a Yemeni university student, befriends al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar in San Diego.
• Trip to Los Angeles: Abdullah recalls a trip with al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar to Los Angeles, where they visited the King Fahd Mosque and met individuals they appeared to know, including a man named “Khal-lam.”
• Private Meeting with “Khal-lam”: “Khal-lam” visits the al-Qaeda operatives at their motel, and Abdullah is asked to leave the room for a private meeting with al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar. The identity and purpose of “Khal-lam” remain unknown.
• Logistical Support to Hijackers: Two of the Saudi hijackers receive logistical support in the lead-up to the attacks.

September 11, 2001:

• 9/11 Attacks: The militant Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, coordinates four terrorist attacks in the United States, killing 2,977 people and injuring approximately 6,000.

September 20, 2001 – September 8, 2021:

• Operation Encore: The FBI conducts a nearly 20-year investigation (Operation Encore) into the potential involvement of Saudi officials in the 9/11 attacks. This investigation is particularly vigorous during its first 10 years, with agents traveling globally for interviews.

2002:

• Joint Report on Intelligence Community Activities: The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence release their “Report of the Joint Inquiry into The Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001.”
• Joint Hearings on Intelligence Community Activities: Hearings are held from September 18 to October 17, 2002, to collect testimony transcripts and supplemental documents for the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities.

November 27, 2002:

• Establishment of the 9/11 Commission: President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress establish the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission) to provide a full account of the circumstances surrounding the 9/11 attacks.

2003-2004:

• 9/11 Commission Interviews: Staff members of the 9/11 Commission conduct interviews with FBI agents and associates, officials from the Saudi Arabian government, and personnel from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces, CIA, U.S. Department of State, and Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Key individuals interviewed include Madeleine Albright, Osama Basnan, Omar Al-Bayoumi, Richard Armitage, Richard Holbrooke, Janet Reno, and John Ashcroft.

2004:

• Deportation of Mohdar Abdullah: After pleading guilty to immigration violations, Mohdar Abdullah is deported to Yemen, having been held in custody as a material witness for three years post-9/11.
• Publication of the 9/11 Commission Report: The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States publishes its final report on July 22, 2004.
• Publication of Staff Reports: The 9/11 Commission releases supporting staff reports, including “Monograph on Terrorist Financing” and “9-11 and Terrorist Travel.”

October 23, 2007:

• FBI Memo on Foreign Power Scenarios: An FBI memo outlines potential scenarios for foreign power involvement, including al-Qaeda, the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs (or radical elements within it), or a collaboration between al-Qaeda operatives and radical elements within the Ministry.

2019:

• Renewed Attention to Operation Encore: The FBI’s Operation Encore investigation receives renewed attention.

March 21, 2021:

• Operation Encore Closure: The FBI officially closes Operation Encore.

May 27, 2021:

• FBI Re-evaluation Statement: An FBI document states that re-evaluations obtained no additional information and no material contradicting prior statements, concluding that no other groups or individuals responsible for the attack have been identified beyond those currently charged, consistent with the 9/11 Commission Report.

September 11, 2021:

• Declassification of FBI Electronic Communication (April 4, 2016): A heavily redacted 16-page FBI Electronic Communication from April 4, 2016, is declassified. This document summarizes circumstantial evidence and leads from the FBI’s investigation into Saudi ties to the 9/11 terrorists, focusing on logistical support to two hijackers, but without providing proof of senior Saudi government officials’ complicity.

November 3, 2021:

• FBI Files Released by Executive Order 14040: 742 pages of FBI files related to the 9/11 attacks and Saudi Arabia, dating from September 20, 2001, to September 8, 2021, are released.

Cast of Characters

• Osama bin Laden: Leader of the militant Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda, which coordinated the 9/11 attacks.
• Nawaf al-Hazmi: One of the 9/11 hijackers, who befriended Mohdar Abdullah in San Diego and met “Khal-lam” in Los Angeles.
• Khalid al-Mihdhar: One of the 9/11 hijackers, who befriended Mohdar Abdullah in San Diego and met “Khal-lam” in Los Angeles.
• Mohdar Abdullah: A 23-year-old Yemeni university student who befriended hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar in San Diego. He was held as a material witness for three years after 9/11 and deported to Yemen in 2004 after pleading guilty to immigration violations.
• “Khal-lam”: An unidentified individual mentioned by Mohdar Abdullah as having met with al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar privately in Los Angeles. His identity and purpose remain unknown.
• Fahad al-Thumairy: A subject of investigation in the documents regarding possible support of 9/11 terrorists by Saudi individuals.
• Osama Basnan: A subject of investigation in the documents regarding possible support of 9/11 terrorists by Saudi individuals, and interviewed by the 9/11 Commission staff.
• Omar Al-Bayoumi: A subject of investigation in the documents regarding possible support of 9/11 terrorists by Saudi individuals, and interviewed by the 9/11 Commission staff.
• Dale Watson: FBI Assistant Director, interviewed by the 9/11 Commission.
• Madeleine Albright: Former United States Secretary of State (1997-2001), interviewed by the 9/11 Commission staff.
• Richard Armitage: Former United States Deputy Secretary of State (2001-2005), interviewed by the 9/11 Commission staff.
• Richard Holbrooke: Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations (1999-2001), interviewed by the 9/11 Commission staff.
• Janet Reno: United States Attorney General (1993–2001), interviewed by the 9/11 Commission.
• John Ashcroft: United States Attorney General (2001–2005), interviewed by the 9/11 Commission.
• President George W. Bush: U.S. President who, along with Congress, established the 9/11 Commission.

9/11 Attack Information Concerning Saudis and Saudi Arabia Collected by the FBI and Related Agencies

This collection contains a total of 4,857 pages.

On September 11, 2001, the September 11 Attacks, also commonly referred to as 9/11 occurred, in which the militant Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, coordinated four terrorist attacks in the United States of America, killing 2,977 people and injuring approximately 6,000 others.

This collection contains:

FBI Files Released by Executive Order 14040 on November 3, 2021

The 742-pages in this new release date from to September 20, 2001, to September 8, 2021.

This set of documents shows that the FBI spent almost 20-years investigating the potential involvement of Saudi officials in the 9/11 attacks as part of its Operation Encore, which ended in March of 2021. The files show the FBI investigation was particularly vigorous during its first 10 years with agents traveling the world interviewing leads. The case got renewed attention in 2019 and was closed on March 21, 2021.

An FBI document date May 27, 2021, states about the re-evaluations, “No additional information was obtained as part of those interviews and no material contradicting statements were made as compared to the initial interviews.” The FBI document further states that, “After nearly twenty years after the attack, the FBI has not identified additional groups or individuals responsible for the attack other than those currently charged which is consistent with the final conclusion of the 9/11 Commission Report.”

An October 23, 2007, FBI memo states, “Scenarios in which the foreign power involved could be AQ (Al Qaeda), Saudi Arabia, specifically the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, or both. The group that AL-MIHDHAR and AL-HAZMI were able to exploit and/or utilize could be 1) a group of AQ operatives who had infiltrated the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and who were unbeknownst to the Saudi government utilizing the resources of the Ministry for their own objectives, 2) a radical element within the Ministry of Islamic Affairs unaffiliated with AQ or 3) a collaboration of AQ operatives and certain radical elements within the Ministry of Islamic Affairs for mutually beneficial goals.”

Consistent mention of Mohdar Abdullah is made in the documents. Mohdar Abdullah, a 23-year-old Yemeni university student, befriended hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar in San Diego. After 9/11 he was held in custody as a material witness for 3 years. After pleading guilty to immigration violations, he was deported to Yemen in 2004.

The 9/11 Commission final report states, “Mohdar Abdullah, recalled a trip with Hazmi and Mihdhar to Los Angeles in June when, on their arrival, the three went to the King Fahd Mosque. There Hazmi and Mihdhar greeted various individuals whom they appeared to have met previously, including a man named “Khal-lam.” In Abdullah’s telling, when Khallam visited the al Qaeda operatives at their motel that evening, Abdullah was asked to leave the room so that Hazmi, Mihdhar, and Khallam could meet in private. The identity of Khallam and his purpose in meeting with Hazmi and Mihdhar remain unknown.”

This later released files has the full name “Mohdar Abdullah” mentioned 58 times in its 742 pages.

9/11 Attack Information Concerning Saudis and Saudi Arabia Collected by the FBI

458 pages of 9/11 – September 11th Terrorist Attack investigation documents containing information concerning Saudis and Saudi Arabia collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other government agencies as discovered through interviews conducted in 2003 and 2004 by staff members of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up by President George W. Bush and the United States Congress on November 27, 2002, “to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11 attacks.”

FBI Interviews

142 pages of memorandum of key facts given in Commission interviews of FBI agents and associates. Interviewed were Special Agents, Supervisory Special Agents, Specialists, and Assistant Director Dale Watson.

Other Agencies and Individuals Interviews

299 pages of key facts documented by Commission staff derived from interviews of officials of the Saudi Arabian government, personnel from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces, CIA, United States Department of State, and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Includes Memorandum for the Record for interviews with Madeleine Albright, Osama Basnan, Omar Al-Bayoumi, Richard Armitage and Richard Holbrooke.

Additional materials include 231 pages of transcripts of Commission interviews with Janet Reno (United States Attorney General 1993–2001) and John Ashcroft (United States Attorney General 2001–2005).

Subjects

While the documents in this collection cover many aspects of the September 11th attacks, these documents were selected for their inclusion of content related to possible support of 9/11 terrorists by Saudi individuals or Saudi Arabian government representatives. The subject matters include Fahad al-Thumairy, Osama Basnan, and Omar Al-Bayoumi; Activities of hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Midhar; Contacts the hijackers had with Saudi connections in the U.S.; Cooperation of the Government of Saudi Arabia with the investigation of the terrorist attacks.

A key document in this collection is a report that was declassified on September 11, 2021. The heavily redacted, 16-page FBI Electronic Communication dated April 4, 2016, was a final inventory of circumstantial evidence and leads from the FBI’s investigation of Saudi ties to the 9/11 terrorists. The declassified document is related to logistical support given to two of the Saudi hijackers in the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The document details contact the hijackers had with Saudis in the U.S. but does not provide proof that senior Saudi government officials were complicit in the plot.

Extra Material

3,426 pages of extra material containing documents related to the theme of this entire collection. composed chiefly of finished reports by U.S. Government investigative bodies. Includes:

The 9-11 Commission Report (2004)

Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, published on July 22, 2004, commonly called The 9/11 Commission Report.

Monograph on Terrorist Financing Staff Report to the Commission (2004)

Includes an introduction and executive summary. The report covers al Qaeda’s means and methods to raise, move, and use money; government efforts before and after the September 11 attacks; attempts at combating terrorist financing in the United States: The role of financial institutions; al-Barakaat case study; the Illinois charities case study; al Haramain case study; the financing of the 9/11 plot; and securities trading.

9-11 and Terrorist Travel Staff Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004)

This study is on immigration, border security and terrorist travel issues.

Joint Report on Intelligence Community Activities (2002)

Report of the Joint Inquiry into The Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 – By the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Joint Hearings on Intelligence Community Activities (2002)

Two volumes of testimony transcripts and supplemental documents of S. Hrg. 107-1086, the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001. Held September 18, 19, 20, 24, and 26, 2002 and October 1, 3, 8, and 17, 2002.

CRS Report for Congress – 9-11 Commission Recommendations – Implementation Status – December 4, 2006

This report provides a review of the 9/11 Commission recommendations and the status of their implementation at the end of the 109th Congress. The discussions are organized based on policy themes that are at the core of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations, rather than through a review of each numbered item set out in the Commission’s final report. The analysis was produced by a large team of CRS Specialists, analysts, and attorneys who are responsible for the wide variety of policy areas covered by the 9/11 Commission in its work.