25yrs later, new footage links 9/11 suspect to Saudi, al-Qaeda
What's the story
A BBC investigation has uncovered new footage of Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who was investigated by the FBI for his suspected links to the September 11 hijackers. The footage obtained by the FBI contrasts sharply with Bayoumi's denial that he was an extremist and Saudi spy. It shows Bayoumi participating in paintball exercises with Anwar al-Awlaki, a future senior figure in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and with an official from Saudi's Ministry of Islamic Affairs near San Diego.
Uncovered footage
Bayoumi was seen with Saudi officials and religious figures
The material forms part of a $1 trillion lawsuit against Saudi by the victims' families.
The footage filmed from 1997 or early 1998 also shows Bayoumi with Saudi government officials and religious figures. A visiting Saudi sheikh was also seen and Bayoumi was heard addressing al-Awlaki as "Sheikh Anwar."
Bayoumi, who arrived in San Diego from Saudi Arabia in 1994, claimed to be a student when he was in the US.
Attack
His name found on apartment rental agreement signed by hijackers
But court records show that within a few years he abandoned his studies and was instead found organizing religious events.
After the 9/11 attacks, investigators looked into whether he helped hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar.
His name was found on an apartment rental agreement signed by the two men.
The BBC reported that paintballing emerged as a subject of interest in the FBI's post-9/11 counter-terrorism investigations, with Bayoumi and al-Awlaki found involved in paintball sessions for around three years.
Twitter Post
Few footage shared by BBC
Omar-al-Bayoumi has always denied being an extremist and a Saudi spy. But new evidence uncovered by the BBC shows that while living in the US in the lead up to the 911 attacks, he spent time with one of Al-Qaeda‘s future leaders as well as Saudi officials.
— Meidas_Charise Lee (@charise_lee) September 7, 2026
The hijackers were… pic.twitter.com/EPr0AmMwMW
Arrest details
Bayoumi was arrested after the attacks
When the FBI investigated after 9/11, investigators learned that some of the participants were training for jihad.
Before the attacks, Bayoumi moved to Birmingham, England, with his family.
British police arrested him on September 21, 2001, and searched his properties.
They found thousands of documents and a notebook page with a drawing of a plane and mathematical calculations related to its height and distance from a target, which was never shared with British interrogators or some FBI agents investigating Bayoumi.
Investigation hurdles
Evidence recovered in Britain didn't reach FBI investigators
The BBC investigation found that key evidence recovered in Britain didn't reach FBI investigators in San Diego.
Rick Lambert, who led the San Diego investigation, said his office repeatedly requested this material.
Investigators also tried to interview Saudi officials connected to Bayoumi but were denied permission.
Jeffrey Breinholt from the US Department of Justice told the BBC that Bayoumi's name had come up "as one of the hot possibilities for charges," but the charges were never sent for approval.
Commission report
FBI, Department of Justice, and Saudi government did not respond
The 9/11 Commission also concluded there was no evidence Bayoumi had extremist views.
However, some staff objected to describing him as "an unlikely candidate for clandestine involvement with Islamist extremists."
Saudi Arabia has consistently denied allegations of complicity, claiming that these videos don't prove who "made" or "took" them.
The lawsuit alleges that Saudi was complicit in the attacks and that Bayoumi assisted two of the 19 hijackers who flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.