NY TIMES
Report on 9/11 Suggests a Role by Saudi Spies
Sat Aug 2 17:48:22 2003
64.140.158.107

Report on 9/11 Suggests a Role by Saudi Spies
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/02/national/02SAUD.html?ei=5062&en=624d7ad76c8e2748&ex=1060401600&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position

August 2, 2003

By JAMES RISEN and DAVID JOHNSTON

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 — The classified part of a Congressional report on the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, says that two Saudi citizens who had at least indirect links with two hijackers were probably Saudi intelligence agents and may have reported to Saudi government officials, according to people who have seen the report.

These findings, according to several people who have read the report, help to explain why the classified part of the report has become so politically charged, causing strains between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Senior Saudi officials have denied any links between their government and the attacks and have asked that the section be declassified, but President Bush has refused.

People familiar with the report and who spoke on condition of not being named said that the two Saudi citizens, Omar al-Bayoumi and Osama Bassnan, operated in a complex web of financial relationships with officials of the Saudi government. The sections that focus on them draw connections between the two men, two hijackers, and Saudi officials.

The report urges further investigation of the two men and their contacts with the hijackers, because of unresolved questions about their relationship and whether they had any involvement in the 9/11 plot.

The edited 28-page section of the report, produced by a joint panel of the House and Senate intelligence committees, also says that a Muslim cleric in San Diego was a central figure in a support network that aided the same two hijackers. Most connections drawn in the report between the men, Saudi intelligence and the attacks are circumstantial, several people who have read the report said.

The unclassified parts of the report also suggest a connection between Mr. al-Bayoumi and Saudi intelligence. The report says that "one of the F.B.I.'s best sources in San Diego informed the F.B.I. that he thought that al-Bayoumi must be an intelligence officer." The report also says that "despite the fact that he was a student, al-Bayoumi had access to seemingly unlimited funding from Saudi Arabia."

The joint inquiry's investigation of Mr. al-Bayoumi and Mr. Bassnan centered on their activities three years ago when they were living in San Diego. The report concluded that the two men were crucial to understanding the events leading up to the plot, largely because of Mr. al-Bayoumi's extensive contacts with two of the 9/11 hijackers, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, after they settled in San Diego in early 2000. There is no definitive evidence that Mr. Bassnan knew the hijackers, but the report describes him as a close associate of Mr. al-Bayoumi.

One unresolved issue in the classified part of the report concerned Mr. Bassnan's visit to Houston after the attacks. While Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah met with President Bush, Mr. Bassnan met with a Saudi in his entourage, according to the report. It is not known what they discussed.

In San Diego, Mr. al-Bayoumi was employed by a contractor to the Saudi civil aviation authority, and received payments authorized by a Saudi official. But Congressional officials believe he was a "ghost employee" of the contractor who did no actual work. The payments authorized by the Saudi official increased significantly after Mr. al-Bayoumi came in contact with the two hijackers in early 2000, the classified part of the report states.

According to the unclassified parts of the report, Mr. al-Bayoumi first befriended Mr. al-Mihdhar and Mr. al-Hazmi in January 2000 when they arrived in Los Angeles from Bangkok, after attending a meeting in Malaysia with other operatives of al Qaeda. The two men stayed in Mr. al-Bayoumi's apartment for several days. He helped them find their own apartment, paid their first month's rent and security deposit, and threw a party to help them get settled in the local Arabic community.

Law enforcement officials have said, though, that Mr. Almidhar repaid Mr. al-Bayoumi and added that there was no evidence Mr. al-Bayoumi or Mr. Bassnan ever provided any other money to Mr. Almidhar or Mr. Hazmi. That point, the officials said, helps to explain why Mr. al-Bayoumi has not been accused of any crime, like providing material support to terrorists.

Law enforcement officials have played down the significance of the connection between Mr. al-Bayoumi and the two hijackers, saying there is no evidence that Mr. al-Bayoumi knew of the 9/11 plot. They dismissed the tone of the report, which they say portrays the possible links between the plot and Saudi Arabian officials as clearer and more direct than is actually known.

F.B.I. and C.I.A. officials have also said that they are not certain why Mr. al-Bayoumi was in San Diego, and that they are not certain of his exact relationship with the Saudi government. Some officials said that even if he was not a professional Saudi intelligence officer, he may have had some informal role. It is possible, they believe, that he was assigned to monitor the activities of Saudi students and other expatriates in the United States.

Investigators said that the role of the Muslim cleric who the report says served as a "spiritual adviser" to the two hijackers is central to an understanding of what happened in San Diego. The cleric is not named in the declassified section of the report, but officials identified him as Anwar Aulaqi. He is said to have held meetings with the two hijackers, and when he moved to Falls Church, Va., in 2001, the two hijackers moved as well and began to attend the mosque with which the cleric was now associated. Officials said that the report made clear that the cleric's role needs to be investigated further.

Today, 46 Democratic senators asked that the deleted material be released, saying the national security issues Mr. Bush cited as the reason the material was classified could be addressed by careful editing. Republicans, including Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, a former Intelligence Committee chairman, have also called for its release.

Several Congressional officials familiar with the report say that only a small part of the classified section dealing with the specifics of F.B.I. counterintelligence and counterterrorism activities should remain classified. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said, "Keeping this material classified only strengthens the theory that some in the U.S. government are hellbent on covering up for the Saudis."

National Security Council officials are leading an interagency delegation to Saudi Arabia this weekend to discuss with Saudi officials investigations into the financing of terrorism. The Americans may also ask Saudi permission to interview Mr. al-Bayoumi, who is reportedly now in Saudi Arabia, officials said.

After 9/11, Mr. al-Bayoumi was briefly interviewed in Britain, but has never returned to the United States to face in-depth questioning.
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SECURITY IN SAUDI ARABIA
http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:gwTm0H9LByUJ:www.us-saudi-business.org/asis2000.htm+Akal+Security+Group&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8

DELEGATION LEADER:
Jacquie Wathen
Commercial Specialist
U.S. Commercial Service
Embassy of the United States of America
P.O. Box 94309
Riyadh 11693
Saudi Arabia
Tel: 966/1/488-3800 Ext 1109
Fax: 966/1/488-3237
E-mail: jacquie.wathen@mail.doc.gov

Abdulla Fouad Co. Ltd. (AFCO)
Yousef A. Seyadi, Executive Vice President
Osama Kabani, Operations Manager
P.O. Box 257
Dammam 31411, Saudi Arabia
Tel: 966/3/832-4400
Fax: 966/3/834-6174
E-mail: yousef.seyadi@abdulla-fouad.com

OBJECTIVES AT ASIS:
AFCO is actively searching for high tech solutions to today's security problems. Of particular interest are training, perimeter security, intrusion detection, CCTV, access control, integrated security systems, biometrics technology, IR, microwave, explosives detectors, fire alarm systems, identification, verification, investigation systems and technology, and manufacturing opportunities for security and safety products.

COMPANY PROFILE:
Established in 1947, AFCO is one of the oldest and most prominent business entities in Saudi Arabia. Over the years it has developed into a diversified business group. Its activities now encompass:

* Security and Safety
* Construction
* Manufacturing
* Environmental Services
* Information Technology (hardware/software/services)
* Telecommunications
* Medical Services/ Supplies
* Commercial Trading
* Entertainment/ Amusement Parks
* Real Estate
* Investments

The firms dedication to customer satisfaction, its professional management team and its commitment to timely and cost-effective job completion are the primary reasons for AFCO being ranked among the most successful companies in Saudi Arabia.

Almisehal Co. Ltd.
Adnan H. Almisehal, Vice President adnan@almisehal.com
Glenn S. Pearson, Managing Director gpearson@almisehal.com
PO Box 580 PO Box 1082
Riyadh 11391 Dammam 31431
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia
Tel: 966/1/461-0808 Tel: 966/3/857-0999
Fax: 966/1/461-0909 Fax: 966/3/858-1333
Web: www.almisehal.com
Email: sales@almisehal.com

OBJECTIVES AT ASIS:
Almisehal seeks to represent U.S. firms active in the security and military markets in order to strengthen its product portfolio and further penetrate the Saudi Arabian security market.

COMPANY PROFILE:
Almisehal Company Limited is one of the foremost suppliers of high technology products and services to the government, the military and the commercial sectors of Saudi Arabia. It enjoys a high reputation for reliability, quality and excellent customer service. The company headquarters and administrative offices are in Riyadh but the company also has offices and electronic workshops and in Dammam, close to the heart of the petrochemical industry.

Reliability is a major keystone of the Almisehal operation. This commitment to reliability satisfies their customers and has been a key factor in gaining major prestigious projects. Almisehal is a distributor for several well-known international companies in Saudi Arabia including American Science and Engineering, Bewator Cotag, Adams, Scanna, Trimble Navigation, Computer Sciences Corporation, CAPSTUN, M&K. Irmel, Safety Kleen and others. Almisehal provides full marketing support including staff, warehousing and translation facilities. However, its greatest strength lies in its ability to provide workshops and factory trained staff to guarantee essential customer support throughout its entire product line.

Al-Othman Trading & Contracting Co.
Mutasim S. Hamid, Executive Director
P.O. Box 1783
Dammam 31441
Saudi Arabia
Tel: 966/3/833-1197, 834-3494
Fax: 966/3/833-0619

OBJECTIVE AT ASIS:
ATCC seeks to represent U.S. manufacturers of advanced security and safety services systems and products (hardware and software) for the security and information technology industries in Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries.

COMPANY PROFILE:
Established in 1972, Al-Othman Trading & Contracting Co. (ATCC) diversified activities include trading, contracting, and specialized technical services. The head office in Dammam, and branch office in Riyadh, serve Saudi Arabian industry in general, and the oil, gas, petrochemical and down stream oil industries in particular. ATCC clients include government agencies such as the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Defense, and other law enforcement government agencies also includes Saudi Aramco and SABIC.

The Advanced Security & Communication Systems (ASCS) division of ATCC supplies security and communication equipment with full after sales and servicing support. ASCS operates not only in Saudi Arabia, but also in other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Arab Builders for Telecommunications & Security Services Co. (ABTSS)
Tony I. Hachem, Projects Manager
P.O. Box 42086
Riyadh 11541
Saudi Arabia
Tel: 966/1/477-9250, 477-2569, 476-8895
Fax: 966/1/476-6783
E-mail: abt@abtss.com.sa

OBJECTIVES AT ASIS:
ABTSS is interested in Perimeter Protection, Access Control and Alarm Systems; Barriers; Luggage Screening; ID Badging; Guard Tours; Digital CCTV Recording and Transmission over several mediums (X25, TCP/IP, PSTN, ISDN); Digital CCTV archiving and retrieval; and Computer Security.

COMPANY PROFILE:
Arab Builders for Telecommunications and Security Services (ABTSS) is a Saudi company specialized in the fields of security, telecommunications and electronics, and acts as exclusive representative for a number of leading international firms. The company was established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1979 and has built up a team of qualified salesmen, engineers and technicians backed by a well-equipped workshop. ABTSS provides full design, installation and commissioning of projects, and ensures prompt after-sales services.

ABTSS handles the following products:

* Security & Low Current Systems (fence, perimeter protection, access control and intruder alarm, CCTV, bomb and metal detectors, x-ray inspection, master clock system, intercom and video systems, sound distribution and paging systems);
* Telecommunication Systems & Equipment (HF Radio equipment, VHF Radio Systems, UHF Radio Systems, Remote Control Consoles, Paging Systems);
* Consumer Products (GSM hand phones, accessories, car kits and antenna, and boosters and interface units, car security products, and wireless security products for various applications).

Q.S.D. Security Consultants
John W.A. Didden, Managing Director
P.O. Box 93876
Riyadh 11683, Saudi Arabia
Tel: 966/1/462-8990
Fax: 966/1/464-4326
E-mail john.wa.didden@qsdksa.com

OBJECTIVES AT ASIS:
To advise its valuable customers, Q.S.D. Security Consultants is interested in the latest sophisticated security systems, covering the whole range of security, such as: access control, CCTV systems and central alarm monitoring; software protection packages; banking security systems and related cash in transit operations; counter eavesdropping equipment and tools; disposal equipment; and communication systems.

COMPANY PROFILE:
Q.S.D. Security Consultants is a completely independent security and safety consultancy, based in Saudi Arabia and operating in the Middle East. The organization’s philosophy includes a commitment to professional services, fast response, timely results, being cost effective, and working in compliance with international standards (ISO). The senior staff of Q.S.D. Security Consultants has extensive experience in the fields of governmental, commercial, banking, and industrial security, as well as in information gathering. Q.S.D. Security Consultants provides the following services:

* Risks assessment and security forecasts
* Security and safety surveys, followed by a Report of Findings and Recommendations
* Development, review and implementation of security and safety procedures and work instructions
* Security awareness programs and education of staff
* Contingency, emergency and recovery planning
* Design security systems and specifications
* Background investigations and information on areas of interest
* Training of security staff
* VIP protection advice and protection-program preparation
* Security lectures, seminars and workshops

Saad Group of Companies
Security Division
P.O. Box 3250
Al Khobar 31952
Saudi Arabia
Tel: 966/3/882-2220, 882-8699
Fax: 966/3/882-8699

OBJECTIVES AT ASIS:
The Saad Group is interested in locating suppliers of:

* hospital security systems
* staff, patient and visitor tracking equipment and systems
* perimeter security systems for industrial, residential and recreational facilities
* surveillance systems
* CCTV

The company’s objective is to keep current with the latest techniques and technology to manage a broad range of security challenges across the wide spectrum of Saad projects.

COMPANY PROFILE:
The Saad Group of Companies