US report raises questions on terrorism funding

25 July 2003
A 900-page report on the 11 September terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, large parts of which were declassified on 24 July, has reignited the controversy surrounding the relationship between Saudi Arabia and terrorism. The study - the result of a congressional inquiry - found that the hijackers received significant assistance from an unnamed foreign government. The section of the report dealing with the specifics of which foreign governments were responsible for supporting terrorism has not been released. However, suspicion is falling heavily on Riyadh. Other parts of the report detail alleged links between people close to the Saudi government and the hijackers. Omar al-Bayoumi, believed by some in the FBI to be a Saudi intelligence agent, helped two of the hijackers to settle in the US and met them after leaving a meeting at the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles. The report notes that Al-Bayoumi 'had access to seemingly unlimited funding from Saudi Arabia'.

Saudi ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, reacted angrily to allegations that the section on governments financing terrorism was kept under wraps to protect Riyadh. 'Saudi Arabia has nothing to hide,' he said. 'Twenty-eight blanked out pages are being used by some to malign our country and our people -We can deal with questions in public, but we cannot respond to blank pages.' The report was completed in December but publication was delayed by arguments over which parts should be suppressed. Some wanted the section on Saudi financing released while others argued that such a move would damage relations with an important ally. Of the 19 hijackers, 15 were Saudi nationals. The report is highly critical of US intelligence agencies for failings that allowed the devastating attacks to take place.

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