Page:Canestraro Declaration (2021).pdf/9

 In September of 2016, I interviewed a former FBI Special Agent whose identity is known to me. The agent herein is referred to as CS-8. CS-8 confirmed that Omar Al-Bayoumi was under investigation by the FBI prior to the 9/11 attacks as part of a counter intelligence investigation. CS-8 stated that the FBI investigation noted that Al-Bayoumi was never employed while in San Diego. CS-8 told me that Al-Bayoumi was receiving funds from the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC while he was living in San Diego. CS-8 added that he/she believed that Al-Bayomi was affiliated with Saudi Intelligence. CS-8 also recalled that an FBI investigation showed that Omar Al-Bayoumi was associated with suspected Al-Qaeda recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki.

CS-8 told me that an FBI investigation conducted in San Diego showed that just prior to meeting Al-Hazmi and Al-Mihdhar, Omar Al-Bayoumi met with Al-Thumairy at the Saudi Consulate in Los Angles, California. CS-8 described Al-Thumairy as a “radical” Muslim who was employed at the Saudi Consulate.

CS-8 described Al-Bayoumi’s employer Dallah Avco as a corporation used as “cut out.” CS-8 explained that a “cut out” is used by an intelligence agency to mask its direct involvement with an individual or group or individuals. CS-8 told me that FBI agents determined that Al-Bayoumi was in the San Diego area to spy on local dissidents. CS-8 recalled that Al-Bayoumi was later arrested in the United Kingdom on immigration charges and that British officials found extremist literature in his apartment following his arrest.

CS-8 stated that no charges were ever filed against Al-Bayoumi. CS-8 recalled that there was “diplomatic pressure” exerted on the FBI not to investigate the Saudi government’s connections to the 9/11 attacks. CS-8 stated that following the 9/11 attacks, the FBI requested bank records for Princess Haifa and Prince Bandar via a federal Grand Jury subpoena. According to CS-8, the subpoena was directed to Riggs Bank in Washington, DC. CS-8 stated that officials at Riggs thwarted the FBI’s efforts to obtain the records for a year. The records were eventually released and examined by a task force of FBI agents at FBI Headquarters. CS-8 stated that these records are most likely maintained by the FBI at their Headquarters in Washington, DC. CS-8 stated that he/she believed that Riggs bank was responding to political pressure to deny the FBI access to the records.

CS-8 stated that the presence of Al-Hazmi and Al-Mihdhar in the United States and their association with the Malaysia meeting was not communicated to anyone at the San Diego Field Office of the FBI prior to the 9/11 attacks. CS-8 stated that immediately following the 9/11 attacks, an intelligence officer was detailed to the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. CS-8 recalled that the officer was supposed to be assigned to the San Diego office to further information sharing between the FBI and the CIA. However, CS-8 later learned that the officer was actually examining FBI files in an attempt to blame the FBI for the intelligence failures that led to 9/11.