Evidence could change our understanding of 9/11 attacks 25 years ago | 60 Minutes Archive
In a Nutshell
Newly unsealed evidence shows a Saudi intelligence operative, Omar al-Bayumi, conducted detailed pre-operational surveillance of the U.S. Capitol in 1999, including a 360-degree video of entrances, security posts, and flight paths—evidence the FBI received after 9/11 but withheld from its own field agents and the 9/11 Commission. The video, plus an airplane descent equation and his documented support for two hijackers, suggests Bayumi was an al-Qaeda facilitator whose role was essential to the plot. The Saudi government denies involvement and is seeking dismissal of the families’ lawsuit.
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Evidence has emerged that could change understanding of the 9/11 terrorist attacks more than two decades later. The evidence was turned over to the FBI in the weeks after 9/11 but was never shared with the bureau's own field agents or top intelligence officials.
The evidence emerged as part of a long-running lawsuit against the Saudi government by families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks. A chilling video shows a Saudi national filming the US capital. A voice on the video says in Arabic: "I am transmitting these scenes to you from the heart of the American capital, Washington." The video was recorded in the summer of 1999 and unsealed in federal court last year.
Exhibit A in the case is Omar al-Bayumi, who asked a bystander to film him in front of the Capitol. The FBI says Bayumi was living in the United States on a student visa and being paid by a Saudi Aviation Company in California despite not showing up for classes or work. Investigators say Bayumi was an operative of the Saudi intelligence service and had close ties to two of the hijackers.
The video was filmed over several days. Bayumi recorded entrances and exits of the Capitol, security posts, a model of the building, and nearby landmarks. Bayumi points out the Washington Monument and says: "I will get over there and report to you in detail what is there." He also notes the airport is not far away.
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