Oil. Again.
Oil. | 23.11.2002 18:38
Hmm . . . Iraq has the 2nd biggest oil reserves in the world . . . We'll invade. And Saudi Arabia has the biggest . . . if only we had a reason to invade them too . . . I know! They're Terrorists! CNN News reportaganda . . .
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI is investigating whether the Saudi Arabian government funneled money to associates of two of the September 11 hijackers, a senior White House official told CNN on Saturday.
Findings from an inquiry by the House-Senate Joint Intelligence Committee inquiry suggest evidence indicates money from the Saudi Arabian government could have made its way to the two hijackers through two Saudi students when they were in California.
There is some evidence that the students received a payment through the wife of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, according to the inquiry.
The senior White House official -- who is traveling with U.S. President George W. Bush in Romania -- said the Saudi government was cooperating with the FBI probe.
"Let us not rush to conclusions," the senior official said. "There is an ongoing FBI investigation and the Saudis are cooperating."
A report in Newsweek magazine provides more details.
Report: Hijackers were befriended
The magazine said the FBI wants to know whether Saudi Arabia provided money to two Saudi students who helped two of the September 11 hijackers, transferring funds through a bank account belonging to the Saudi ambassador's wife.
Michael Isikoff, who wrote the Newsweek article, told CNN's "NewsNight" that one of the students helped the hijackers get an apartment, paid their rent and introduced them around the Muslim community in San Diego, California.
Law enforcement sources told Newsweek the FBI has uncovered financial records showing that the family of Omar Al Bayoumi, a student in San Diego, began receiving payments amounting to about $3,500 a month in early 2000.
According to Newsweek's sources, the money came from an account at Riggs Bank in Washington in the name of Princess Haifa Al-Faisal. She is the wife of the Saudi ambassador, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, and the daughter of the late King Faisal.
After Al Bayoumi left the United States in July 2001, similar payments began to be made to another San Diego student, Osama Basnan, Newsweek reported.
According to the magazine's report, Al Bayoumi and Basnan befriended two men who hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and crashed it into the Pentagon -- Khalid Almidhar and Nawaf Alhazmi.
Isikoff said that the timing of the Riggs Bank payments, which began just a couple of months after the hijackers arrived in the United States, has raised questions about whether Saudi government money found its way to the hijackers.
"There has been no explanation for why such a high-ranking official, or the wife of such a high-ranking official, would route money to a seeming nobody in San Diego," he said.
However, the magazine said it is unclear whether any of the money transferred through the Riggs account ever reached the hijackers, and Newsweek quoted sources who said it was not uncommon for wealthy Saudis to provide financial assistance to countrymen abroad. Administration officials also told the magazine that they do not know the purpose of the payments from Princess Haifa's account.
Spokesperson: Princess will 'cooperate fully'
A spokesperson for the princess told Newsweek she would "cooperate fully." She had not been questioned about the payments by the government, her spokesperson told the magazine.
Newsweek reported that the financial records had created an intense struggle between congressional leaders and Bush administration officials over whether the information -- which could be highly embarrassing to the Saudi government -- should be disclosed at the same time the White House is seeking Saudi support for possible military action against Iraq.
According to Newsweek, Al Bayoumi was detained in Britain after the attacks and is now believed to be back in Saudi Arabia. The magazine reported that Basnan was convicted of visa fraud in the United States and is awaiting deportation.
A federal law enforcement source told Newsweek that Basnan was an al Qaeda sympathizer who openly celebrated after the September 11 attacks.
Senior White House Correspondent John King contributed to this report.
>>The neo-imperialist totalitarianism continues . . .
Findings from an inquiry by the House-Senate Joint Intelligence Committee inquiry suggest evidence indicates money from the Saudi Arabian government could have made its way to the two hijackers through two Saudi students when they were in California.
There is some evidence that the students received a payment through the wife of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, according to the inquiry.
The senior White House official -- who is traveling with U.S. President George W. Bush in Romania -- said the Saudi government was cooperating with the FBI probe.
"Let us not rush to conclusions," the senior official said. "There is an ongoing FBI investigation and the Saudis are cooperating."
A report in Newsweek magazine provides more details.
Report: Hijackers were befriended
The magazine said the FBI wants to know whether Saudi Arabia provided money to two Saudi students who helped two of the September 11 hijackers, transferring funds through a bank account belonging to the Saudi ambassador's wife.
Michael Isikoff, who wrote the Newsweek article, told CNN's "NewsNight" that one of the students helped the hijackers get an apartment, paid their rent and introduced them around the Muslim community in San Diego, California.
Law enforcement sources told Newsweek the FBI has uncovered financial records showing that the family of Omar Al Bayoumi, a student in San Diego, began receiving payments amounting to about $3,500 a month in early 2000.
According to Newsweek's sources, the money came from an account at Riggs Bank in Washington in the name of Princess Haifa Al-Faisal. She is the wife of the Saudi ambassador, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, and the daughter of the late King Faisal.
After Al Bayoumi left the United States in July 2001, similar payments began to be made to another San Diego student, Osama Basnan, Newsweek reported.
According to the magazine's report, Al Bayoumi and Basnan befriended two men who hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and crashed it into the Pentagon -- Khalid Almidhar and Nawaf Alhazmi.
Isikoff said that the timing of the Riggs Bank payments, which began just a couple of months after the hijackers arrived in the United States, has raised questions about whether Saudi government money found its way to the hijackers.
"There has been no explanation for why such a high-ranking official, or the wife of such a high-ranking official, would route money to a seeming nobody in San Diego," he said.
However, the magazine said it is unclear whether any of the money transferred through the Riggs account ever reached the hijackers, and Newsweek quoted sources who said it was not uncommon for wealthy Saudis to provide financial assistance to countrymen abroad. Administration officials also told the magazine that they do not know the purpose of the payments from Princess Haifa's account.
Spokesperson: Princess will 'cooperate fully'
A spokesperson for the princess told Newsweek she would "cooperate fully." She had not been questioned about the payments by the government, her spokesperson told the magazine.
Newsweek reported that the financial records had created an intense struggle between congressional leaders and Bush administration officials over whether the information -- which could be highly embarrassing to the Saudi government -- should be disclosed at the same time the White House is seeking Saudi support for possible military action against Iraq.
According to Newsweek, Al Bayoumi was detained in Britain after the attacks and is now believed to be back in Saudi Arabia. The magazine reported that Basnan was convicted of visa fraud in the United States and is awaiting deportation.
A federal law enforcement source told Newsweek that Basnan was an al Qaeda sympathizer who openly celebrated after the September 11 attacks.
Senior White House Correspondent John King contributed to this report.
>>The neo-imperialist totalitarianism continues . . .
Oil.
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