Saudi Spies Said to Have Role in Sept. 11 Attacks: Report

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, August 03, 2003

Saudi Spies Said to Have Role in Sept. 11 Attacks: Report

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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, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The findings, according to sources who have read the report, were part of a classified report of a US Congress investigation into the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Sources familiar with the report said that the two Saudi citizens, named Omar al-Bayoumi and Osama Bassnan, operated in a complex web of financial relationships with officials of the Saudigovernment, the newspaper said.

Early last week, a joint committee of the US House of Representatives and Senate intelligence panels released the 900-page report on the investigation, of which 28 pages were related to Saudi Arabia.

In the Sept. 11 attacks, 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, and the report cited a CIA memorandum that said connections between some hijackers and some Saudis living in the United Statesamounted to "incontrovertible evidence that there is support for these terrorists" from Saudi officials.

The accusation of possible links between Riyadh and some of theterrorists in the Sept. 11 attacks has caused strains between the United States and Saudi Arabia. The accusation has been turned down by the Saudi government, which denied any role of the Saudi government in the terror attacks.

The Saudi government also asked for the declassification of part of the report relating to Saudi Arabia. But, US President George W. Bush, citing national interests, defended last week the White House decision not to declassify it.

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