FBI accused of whitewashing Saudi Arabian involvement in 9/11 after quashing report about Florida family who mysteriously fled US two weeks before attack
- Al-Hijji family left cars and food behind when they fled in August 2001
- FBI agent's report said family of Saudi advisor had 'many connections' to hijackers, some of whom were said to have visited the house
- Agency now says report 'poorly written' and 'unsubstantiated'
- 9/11 Review Commission accepted FBI verdict, did not interview agent
- Congress document redacted by Bush administration pointed 'very strong finger' at financing from Saudi Arabia
The
Federal Bureau of Investigation is facing accusations that it is
'whitewashing' possible Saudi Arabian involvement in the 9/11 terrorist
attacks.
A
commission designed to review evidence about the world-changing
bombings has not delved into an FBI agent's claims that a Saudi Florida
family had ties to the hijackers after the agency said that the report
was 'unsubstantiated'.
Relatives
of homeowner Esam Ghazzawi lived in the plush Sarasota dwelling until
they fled and left cars, furniture and food in their refrigerator behind
right before the 9/11, prompting some to say they knew about the
attacks.
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The FBI's handling of reports about a
Saudi family fleeing Florida two weeks before the 9/11 attacks has
raised suspicion that the agency is whitewashing any involvement by the
Middle Eastern country
The family of Abdulaziz al-Hijji and
his wife Anoud left their 3,300 square foot Florida home in August 2001,
but did not take cars, furniture or food from their fridge
The
daughter and son-in-law of Ghazzawi, who worked as an adviser to a
member of the Saudi royal family, had stayed at the 3,300 square foot
house for six years but left in late August 2001, not even leaving a
forwarding address.
An
FBI agent who investigated the disappearance after neighbors thought it
was suspicious said that the family had 'many connections to
individuals associated with the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001'.
At
least one 'family member' had attended the same Venice, Florida, flight
school as some of the hijackers, according to a piece in the New York Post.
Mohamed
Atta, the leader of the hijackers, and two other terrorists on the
flights, Marwan Al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah, were also reported to have
visited the Sarasota house, according to Florida Bulldog.
Anoud Al-Hijji, Ghazzawi's daughter, later returned to America to sell the home.
The
9/11 Commission wrote that 'The FBI told the Review Commission that the
[FBI report] on which the news article was based was "poorly written"
and wholly unsubstantiated...'
'When
questioned later by others in the FBI, the special agent who wrote [it]
was unable to provide any basis for the contents of the document or
explain why he wrote it as he did'.
Passengers were doomed by post 9/11 safety system that...
Ethiopian Airlines pilot who hijacked his own plane and flew...
Esam
Ghazzawi, who owned the Sarasota home, was an adviser to a nephew of
Saudi Arabia's King Fahd (left). Some observers have speculated that the
Middle Eastern country helped back Osama Bin Laden (right)
Ziad Samir
Jarrah (left) Mohamed Atta (center) and Marwan Al-Shehhi (right) all
reportedly visited the Florida home owned by the Saudi advisor at points
before they carried out the heinous 9/11 attacks
The
Review Commission said the FBI claimed it 'found no evidence that
connected the family members in the Miami Herald article to any of the
9/11 hijackers, nor was there any connection found between the family
and the 9/11 plot'.
The
FBI's dismissal of the report has led some to question whether the
agency is covering up evidence of possible Saudi backing for 9/11.
Former Florida Senator Bob Graham told the Miami Herald:
'The FBI has served America through most of its history. There were
stumbles by the agency before 9/11 and since the tragedy there has been a
consistent effort to cover up the extent of Saudi Arabia’s
involvement.'
The
Congressional Joint Inquiry into the attack, which Graham co-chaired,
contained 28 fully pages that are said to have spoken about who
financed 9/11 that were fully redacted by the Bush administration.
Senator
Graham said the pages 'point a very strong finger' at the government of
Saudi Arabia, rather than wealthy Saudi individuals, as the backers of
the attack.
They
also implicate officials at the Saudi Embassy in Washington for
involvement with 9/11 hijackers in San Diego, sources told Hoover
Institute fellow Paul Sperry.
The FBI told the 9/11 Review
Commission that the original report about the Sarasota family's
connections was unsubstantiated. Above, the National September 11
Memorial in New York City
Some such
as former Florida senator Bob Graham (right) have said that there has
been a consistent effort to cover up Saudi involvement. Left, the World
Trade Center memorial
The
recent Review Commission, which was created by Congress last year to
look into evidence not considered by the FBI, said there was 'no
evidence' that Saudi officials were involved.
Information
about the Sarasota family was not included in the original 2004 9/11
Commission report and the information was not shared with Congress.
The agent in question was not identified.
The Commission did not interview him or Senator Graham or his investigators.
Review
Commission officials' report said that the FBI needed to strengthen
information sharing to combat further terrorist threats.
Abdulaziz
al-Hijji, the son-in-law who lived in Sarasota, has recently lived in
London and worked for Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company, according
to the Telegraph.
'I
love the USA. My kids were born there, I went to college and university
there, I spent a good portion of my life there and I love it,' he said
in 2012.
Reports have claimed that al-Hijji and his father-in-law Ghazzawi were both on FBI watch lists before 9/11.
The new Saudi king Salman also directed government charities in the 1990s that are thought to have funneled funds to Al Qaeda.
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