9/11 25 Years : Before the completion of 25 years of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in America, an important evidence related to the old investigation of this case has come to light. BBC investigation has found video footage related to Omar al-Bayumi, which was not made public till now. In this, Bayoumi can be seen playing paintball with future al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki near San Diego.
According to media reports, this footage is from 1997 or early 1998. In the video, Bayoumi, Awlaki and some others are seen playing paintball in military style. Some people were wearing army-like clothes and religious slogans were also raised during the game. The officers involved in the investigation were told at that time that some people used such paintball sessions for training for jihad.
In another video, Bayoumi and Awlaki are seen embracing each other in January 1998.
Bayoumi’s Saudi contacts also under investigation
Bayoumi came to San Diego from Saudi Arabia in 1994. He said he came to America to learn English, but later documents revealed he was more active in religious activities. Information about his contacts with Saudi officials and people associated with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs also came to light in the investigation.
Bayoumi’s name became more important when his name was found in the apartment rental agreement of Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khaled al-Mihdhar. Both were among the 19 hijackers of the 9/11 attacks.
Sketch of the plane was found in Britain
A few days after the attack, Bayoumi went to Birmingham, UK, where he was arrested on 21 September 2001. The search yielded thousands of documents, photographs and at least 80 video tapes. Among them was also a page of a notebook, on which the sketch of the aircraft and mathematical calculations related to its altitude and distance from the target were written.
The legal team of the 9/11 victims’ families considered this to be important evidence. However, this material did not reach FBI investigators in San Diego and the 9/11 Commission in time. No charges were ever filed against Bayoumi. He has consistently denied any role in the 9/11 attacks. Saudi Arabia has also been rejecting allegations of any role of its government or officials.