Document 17: The smoking gun which links Saudi Arabia to 9/11

Image: Ghassan Al-Sharbi bio – excerpt from Document 17

 

Image: Two Questions for US government – excerpt from Document 17

 

 

(TRUNEWS) While reviewing 9/11 documents previously declassified in July 2015, blogger Brian P. McGlinchey discovered a new link between Saudi Arabia and the 2001 terror attacks.

In the seventeenth of the 29 documents released under the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP) appeal 2012-48, McGlinchey uncovered that the FBI had located the flight certificate for Ghassan Al-Sharbi — a known al-Qaeda member who trained with the 9/11 hijackers. The report said the Embry Riddle certificate was buried in an underground cache in Pakistan, and was inside an official envelope marked from the Saudi Embassy in Washington.

McGlinchey noted on his blog, 28pages.org that its not uncommon for people to re-use envelopes or to correspond with their nations embassy while living in a foreign country. But did say nonetheless, that this — and the rest of Document 17 — directly indicates another possible connection between the Saudi government, al-Qaeda, and the 9/11 terrorist attack.

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Saudi Arabia has subsequently threatened to sell $750 billion in U.S. Treasury securities if Congress passes a law holding their nation legally responsible for the US terror attacks on September 11th 2001. TRUNEWS has previously speculated that this  — and the looming death of the petrodollar  — are the real reasons behind Barack Obama, Ash Carter, Paul Ryan, and top US officials paying special visits to Riyadh this month.

GHASSAN ABDULLAH AL SHARBI

The New York Times documented in their “The Guantanamo Docket” project that Al-Sharbi, who’s full name is Ghassan Abdullah al Sharbi, is one of the 80 remaining detainees at Gitmo. His public record includes his graduation from Embry Riddle University in Prescott, Arizona with a degree in electrical engineering, his reported association with other al-Qaeda operatives and alleged attendance at training camps in Afghanistan.

Al-Sharbi was also identified in the now infamous July 2001 “Phoenix Memo” — also known as “Phoenix EC” — written by FBI agent Kenneth Williams, who unsuccessfully attempted to raise the alarm prior to 9/11 that a large frequency of Middle Eastern extremists were attending flight schools with “ill intents”.

“POSSIBLE POLITICAL INFLUENCE”

Also revealed in the report — titled by ISCAP as “Saudi Notes” but dubbed by McGlinchey as “Document 17”— its authors and previous officials on the 9/11 Commission investigation, Dana Lesemann and Michael Jacobson, sought to examine possible political influence on the examination of links between the House of Saud and the 9/11 attacks.

McGlinchey noted that Lesemann and Jacobson had previously worked together on the 2002 joint congressional 9/11 intelligence inquiry and authored the classified, 28-page chapter on foreign government financing of the attacks. The 47 pages of Document 17 was their proposal to extend that research.

In Document 17 Lesemann and Jacobson asked two specific, eye-catching questions; 1. How Aggressively has the U.S. Government investigated possible ties between the Saudi Government and/or Royal Family, and the September 11th attacks? And 2. To what extent have the U.S. Government’s efforts to investigate possible ties between the Saudi Government and/or Royal Family, and the September 11th attacks been affected by political, economic, or other considerations?

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Zeikow, a close friend of National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and a member of the Bush administration’s transition team, was seen as a controversial — and ethically compromised —appointment to head the 9/11 Commission, especially since he continued to maintain consistent contact with GOP political insider Karl Rove during the investigation.

McGlinchey referenced Philip Shenon’s book, “The Commission“, as a prime example of the Bush Administration’s stonewalling of 9/11 inquiries:

(Commission member and former Secretary of the Navy John) Lehman was struck by the determination of the Bush White House to try to hide any evidence of the relationship between the Saudis and al Qaeda. “They were refusing to declassify anything having to do with Saudi Arabia,” Lehman said. “Anything having to do with the Saudis, for some reason, it had this very special sensitivity.” He raised the Saudi issue repeatedly with Andy Card. “I used to go over to see Andy, and I met with Rumsfeld three or four times, mainly to say, ‘What are you guys doing? This stonewalling is so counterproductive.”

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ADDITIONAL SAUDI LINKS IN DOCUMENT 17

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Individuals of Interest:

Omar Al-Bayoumi: Al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national, provided September 11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar with considerable assistance after the hijackers arrived in San Diego in February 2000. He helped them locate an apartment, co-signed their lease, and ordered Mohdhar Abdullah (discussed below) to provide them with whatever assistance they needed in acclimating to the United States. The FBI now believes that in January 2000 al-Bayoumi met with Fahad al-Thumairy, a Saudi diplomat and cleric, at the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles before going to the restaurant where he met the hijackers and engaged them in conversation. Whether or not al-Bayoumi ‘s meeting with the hijackers was accidental or arranged is still the subject of debate. During his conversation with the hijackers, Al-Bayoumi invited them to move to San Diego, which they did shortly thereafter. Al-Bayoumi has extensive ties to the Saudi Government and many in the local Muslim community in San Diego believed that he was a Saudi intelligence officer. The FBI believes it is possible that he was an agent of the Saudi Government and that he may have been reporting on the local community to Saudi Government officials. In addition, during its investigation, the FBI discovered that al-Bayoumi has ties to terrorist elements as well.

Osama Bassnan: Bassnan was a very close associate of al-Bayoumi’s, and was in frequent contact with him while the hijackers were in San Diego. Bassnan, a vocal supporter of Usama Bin Ladin, admitted to an FBI asset that he met al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar while the hijackers were in San Diego, but denied this in a later conversation. There is some circumstantial evidence that he may have had closer ties to the hijackers, but the FBI has been unable to corroborate this additional reporting. Bassnan received considerable funding from Prince Bandar and Princess Haifa, supposedly for his wife’s medical treatments. According to FBI documents, Bassnan is a former employee of the Saudi Government’s Educational Mission in Washington, D.C.

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Mohdhar Abdullah: Abdullah was tasked by Omar al-Bayoumi to provide al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar with whatever assistance they needed while in San Diego. Abdullah, who became one of the hijackers’ closest associates in San Diego, translated for them, helped them open bank accounts, contacted flight schools for the hijackers, and helped them otherwise acclimate to life in the United States.

Osama Nooh and Lafi al-Harbi: Al-Harbi and Nooh are Saudi naval officers who were posted to San Diego while hijackers al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were living there. After the September 11th attacks, the FBI determined that al-Hazmi had telephonic contact with both Nooh and al-Harbi while al-Hazmi was in the United States.

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Abdullah Bin Ladin: Abdullah bin Ladin (ABL) is reportedly Usama bin Ladin’s half-brother. He is the President and Director of the World Arab Muslim Youth Association (WAMY) and the Institute of Islamic and Arabic Studies in America. Both organizations are local branches of nongovernmental organizations based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to the FBI, there is reason to believe that WAMY is “closely associated with the funding and financing of international terrorist activities and in the past has provided logistical support to individuals wishing to fight in the Afghan War.” ABL has been assigned to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C. as an administrative officer. He is a close associate of Mohammed Quadir Harunani’s and has provided funding for Transcom International.

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Hamad Alotaibi: Alotaibi was assigned to the Saudi Embassy Military Division in Washington, D.C. According to an eyewitness report, one of the September 11th hijackers may have visited Alotaibi at his residence; another FBI document notes that a second hijacker may have also visited this address.

Hamid Al-Rashid: Al-Rashid is an employee of the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority and was apparently responsible for approving the salary of Omar al-Bayoumi. Hamid al-Rashid is also the father of Saud al-Rashid, whose photo was found in a raid of an al-Qa’ida safehouse in Karachi and who has admitted to being in Afghanistan between May 2000 and May 2001.

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Ali Hafiz Al-Marri and Maha Al-Marri: Ali Al-Marri was indicted for lying to the FBI about his contact with Mustafa Al-Hasawi, one of the September 11th financiers. Ali Al-Marri, who arrived in the United States shortly before the September 11th attacks, attempted to call Al-Hasawi a number of times from the United States. The FBI has recently received reporting that he may also have been an al:.Qa’ida “sleeper agent.” According to FBI documents, Ali Al-Marri has connections to the Saudi Royal Family. The Saudi Government provided financial support to his wife, Maha Al-Marri, after Ali Al-Marri was detained and assisted her in departing the United States before the FBI could interview her.

Full article: Document 17: The smoking gun which links Saudi Arabia to 9/11 (TruNews)