Omar al-Bayoumi denied being an extremist or a Saudi spy for 25 years. Newly released video shows him embracing Anwar al-Awlaki and paintballing with a Saudi government official near San Diego in the late 1990s.
The footage is part of a $1 trillion lawsuit by 9/11 families who allege Saudi Arabia helped the hijackers. A federal judge already let the case proceed to trial. More FBI-held evidence could still surface and reshape the official account of the attacks.
Why it matters
A verdict on whether Saudi officials aided the 9/11 hijackers could rewrite the official account of the attacks.
Questions about this story
Free account needed to ask — your question is kept and asked for you right after sign-up. Answers are public.
No questions yet — be the first to ask.
Key Indicators
$1 trillion
Lawsuit amount sought by 9/11 families
The civil suit against Saudi Arabia seeks damages for the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks.
25 years
Years Bayoumi denied extremist ties
The newly released video contradicts that denial, which he repeated as recently as a 2021 deposition.
~3,000
People killed in the 9/11 attacks
Nineteen hijackers struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field.
12 events
Latest: 5 days ago
Showing 8 of 12
JK to step
Tap a bar to jump to that date
Jump to
September 2026
BBC publishes report on Bayoumi videos
LatestReport
BBC Panorama and Radio 4 reveal the videos, the plane diagram, and the FBI's failure to share evidence with British interrogators, San Diego agents, and the 9/11 Commission.
Paintball video placed on public docket
Evidence
The FBI-held video contradicting Bayoumi's denial is released to the court and placed on the public record.
April 2025
Judge finds evidence compelling for trial
Legal
George B. Daniels rules the evidence creates 'a reasonable inference' of Saudi coordination with Bayoumi and lets the case proceed to trial.
June 2022
Plane diagram made public
Evidence
The notebook page with the flight descent equation, in Bayoumi's handwriting, is placed on the public docket after a subpoena.
September 2021
Biden orders 9/11 document release
Policy
Executive order directs declassification of 9/11 investigation documents over six months, accelerating the release of evidence in the Saudi lawsuit.
March 2018
Judge allows lawsuit to proceed
Legal
A federal judge rules the 9/11 families' lawsuit against Saudi Arabia can go forward, clearing the way for document discovery.
July 2004
9/11 Commission report released
Report
The commission concludes Saudi officials did not knowingly support al-Qaeda. Staff objected to the finding on Bayoumi; the commission never saw the plane diagram.
September 2001
Bayoumi released without charge
Legal
Bayoumi is freed after seven days. He was never prosecuted, despite a Department of Justice official saying later, 'We've convicted people for less.'
Bayoumi arrested in Birmingham, England
Arrest
British police raid Bayoumi's apartment and find the paintball video, about 80 other tapes, a phone book with Saudi official contacts, and the plane diagram.
9/11 attacks kill nearly 3,000
Attack
Nineteen hijackers fly planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field. Two of the hijackers had lived in San Diego with Bayoumi's help.
February 2000
Hijackers arrive in San Diego
Investigation
Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar settle in California with Bayoumi's help: apartment, bank account, driver's licenses, flight school applications.
January 1997
Paintball video filmed near San Diego
Evidence
Bayoumi filmed men, including Anwar al-Awlaki, in urban combat exercises with a Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs official. The FBI had this tape within days of the 2001 attacks.
Scenarios
1
Saudi Arabia settles 9/11 lawsuit
Possible
Resolves by End of 2027
Discussed by: Legal observers citing the Lockerbie compensation precedent; families' attorneys have kept settlement talks private
With the case heading to trial and a judge citing a 'reasonable inference' of Saudi coordination, Saudi Arabia may settle to avoid a public airing of the evidence. A settlement would echo Libya's 2003 compensation deal for the Lockerbie bombing, which resolved a similar state-sponsorship claim after years of litigation.
2
Jury trial determines Saudi role
Uncertain
Resolves by Q2 2028
Discussed by: U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels, who allowed this route in his 2025 ruling; the families' legal team expects a trial within two years
The case goes to a jury after the discovery process completes. The trial would be the first public airing of the full evidence against Saudi Arabia, including the videos, the plane diagram, and testimony from FBI agents about the withheld material.
3
Congress forces release of withheld FBI files
Likely
Resolves by Q2 2027
Discussed by: NBC News reported the families are pressing Congress to compel release of additional FBI investigation files
The BBC report documented that San Diego FBI agents never received most of the evidence, and British interrogators were never briefed on the plane diagram. Congressional pressure could force the FBI to release additional files on Bayoumi and Saudi officials, potentially revealing more about why the evidence was suppressed.
Historical Context
2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1 of 2
December 1988
Pan Am Flight 103 / Lockerbie (1988)
A bomb brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. Libya was implicated in 1991, and one intelligence agent was convicted in 2001.
Then
Libya accepted responsibility in 2003 and paid $2.7 billion to the families.
Now
It took 15 years to establish state involvement, a reminder of how slowly state-sponsorship claims move.
Why this matters now
The 9/11 families' Saudi lawsuit is a similar attempt to establish state responsibility for a mass-casualty attack through civil litigation.
2 of 2
1995, video aired 2005
Srebrenica 'Scorpions' video (1995, surfaced 2005)
A video showed Serbian paramilitaries executing Bosnian civilians near Srebrenica. It circulated publicly in 2005 and shifted international opinion on Serbia's wartime role.
Then
The footage pushed the International Criminal Tribunal to revisit cases and pressured Serbia to cooperate with prosecutions.
Now
Visual evidence surfacing a decade later changed the public record of a mass atrocity.
Why this matters now
The paintball video and plane diagram are visual evidence emerging decades after 9/11, similar to how the Scorpions video reframed Srebrenica when it surfaced in 2005.
