More than two decades after the September 11 attacks, newly uncovered footage has renewed scrutiny of Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national once investigated by the FBI for his links to two of the hijackers.
According to a BBC investigation, previously unseen videos show Bayoumi with Anwar al-Awlaki, who later became a prominent al-Qaida leader. The footage also shows them participating in military-style paintball activities near San Diego alongside a Saudi religious official.
Bayoumi came under FBI suspicion after his name appeared on a rental agreement involving hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar. Following his arrest in Britain after 9/11, investigators reportedly found thousands of documents and videos, including a handwritten diagram of an aircraft accompanied by calculations related to height, distance and a potential target.
The material was shared with some FBI officials but was not fully circulated among investigators or the 9/11 Commission. A federal judge later said the document appeared to connect Bayoumi with knowledge of the attacks.
Despite the evidence, Bayoumi was never charged. He has denied any involvement, while Saudi Arabia has repeatedly rejected allegations of complicity in the attacks.