BBC Investigation Says FBI Withheld Evidence In 9/11 Saudi Lawsuit

According to the BBC, video and documents obtained by the broadcaster show that the FBI had evidence within days of the 2001 attacks suggesting Omar al-Bayoumi had extensive links to Saudi officials and to Anwar al-Awlaki, a future al-Qaeda leader, but some of that material was not shared with investigators or the 9/11 Commission. The footage includes Bayoumi embracing Awlaki and paintballing near San Diego with a Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs official, while a notebook page found in Birmingham contained a plane descent calculation that a federal judge later said appeared to connect Bayoumi with knowledge of the attacks. The BBC said the material forms part of a $1 trillion lawsuit brought by 9/11 families against Saudi Arabia, which alleges the kingdom was complicit in the attacks and that Bayoumi helped two hijackers. Bayoumi has denied the allegations, and Saudi Arabia and the FBI declined to comment.