The BBC has released footage showing Saudi intelligence agent and alleged CIA asset Omar al‑Bayoumi associating with Al Qaeda recruiter Anwar al‑Awlaki, according to Headline USA. The outlet reports the video undercuts al‑Bayoumi’s past denials that he ever met al‑Awlaki, a U.S. citizen later killed in a drone strike during the Obama administration. Headline USA also says the footage includes a paintball outing involving al‑Bayoumi, al‑Awlaki, and others described as alleged extremists.
FBI had the evidence after 9/11; no charges
Headline USA reports the FBI received the footage in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The BBC sought comment from the FBI, which declined, per Headline USA. Al‑Bayoumi was not charged.
Report: DOJ told UK to release al‑Bayoumi days after the attacks
Separately, The Times reported last year that UK authorities detained al‑Bayoumi 10 days after 9/11, but that the U.S. Department of Justice told the UK to release him. The Saudi government has long denied that it—or al‑Bayoumi—had anything to do with 9/11.
Earlier releases add context
Headline USA points to a long‑suppressed video made public in 2024 that purportedly shows al‑Bayoumi “casing” Capitol Hill in June 1999. The outlet also reports that sketches plotting the 9/11 attack were revealed in 2024 to have belonged to al‑Bayoumi.
Families’ allegations and CIA‑related claims
According to Headline USA, families of 9/11 victims argue in ongoing litigation that al‑Bayoumi acted under the direction of the Saudi government and allegedly served as a handler for hijackers Nawaf al‑Hazmi and Khalid al‑Mihdhar. The outlet further cites proceedings at Guantanamo Bay suggesting al‑Bayoumi was also a CIA asset. It references Office of Military Commissions investigator Don Canestraro, who reported that at least two FBI agents told him the CIA had attempted to recruit two of the hijackers. These assertions are contested matters in legal and investigative contexts.
The BBC footage and prior reporting, as summarized by Headline USA and The Times, raise unresolved questions about al‑Bayoumi’s activities before and after 9/11 and about decisions made by U.S. and UK authorities in the days following the attacks.
