Detective claims FBI withheld evidence in 9/11 suspect Omar al-Bayoumi interrogation
A former British counter-terrorism detective says vital evidence was withheld from him when he interrogated Saudi man Omar al-Bayoumi, linked to two 9/11 hijackers.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi man arrested in Birmingham days after the 9/11 attacks, is at the centre of fresh allegations after a former British detective said key evidence was withheld from him during the interrogation. The material, said to include notes with a mathematical equation for targeting a jet without GPS and video of al-Bayoumi casing landmarks in Washington, was not shared with the police team, according to David Campbell, the former detective constable who led the interviews.
Al-Bayoumi acted as a guarantor for two of the hijackers, but denied involvement. He had moved to Birmingham to study months before the attacks. After being arrested, he was interviewed at Paddington Green police station in London. Campbell now says that if the withheld evidence had been made available, al-Bayoumi would likely have been extradited to the US on charges of assisting the hijackers.
The fresh material also includes an address book seized from al-Bayoumi's home, which lawyers said contained phone numbers for Saudi diplomats and coded references to two attackers, as well as footage of him at a cultural event. Campbell said he was "gobsmacked" when US officials, who dialled into a meeting at Scotland Yard, encouraged police to release him, saying there was insufficient evidence. He said there was "silence in the room".
The Saudi government has consistently denied involvement, and al-Bayoumi's lawyers have called the links a coincidence. The FBI declined to comment, and the US Department of Justice did not respond. The claims form part of a $1 trillion civil lawsuit brought by the families of 9/11 victims, which is expected to be heard in an American court. Campbell said he was speaking out to help bring justice for the victims' families.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| A $1 trillion civil lawsuit for 9/11 victims' families is expected to reach US courts possibly next year. | |
| Al-Bayoumi acted as a guarantor for two of the hijackers. | |
| Evidence, including a sketch and a video, was withheld from British police during al-Bayoumi's interrogation. | |
| Omar al-Bayoumi was arrested in Birmingham ten days after the 9/11 attacks. | |
| The FBI declined to comment on the allegations. | |
| US authorities encouraged police to release al-Bayoumi. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This bulletin leads with the exclusive and sets out the withheld evidence in detail, including the aircraft sketch and reconnaissance video. It gives the detective's account prominence and shows him reacting to the tapes, with strong language about being 'gobsmacked' by the US decision to let the suspect go.
- “Gobsmacked, absolutely gobsmacked. There was silence in the room.”
- “The most significant pieces of evidence recovered from his home address were not made available to myself on the interview team at Paddington Green.”
- “Hopefully that memory will bring al-Bayoumi to justice and that justice will be for the victims' families.”
The later bulletin condenses the same exclusive but adds discussion with the reporter about the lack of response from authorities and the families' hopes. It frames the detective's claim as 'astonishing' and asks whether al-Bayoumi was a Saudi spy, while noting the legal challenge ahead.
- “The astonishing claim begs a myriad questions, not least why the FBI would have withheld such evidence which appeared so crucial and was al-Baiumi in fact a Saudi spy.”
- “Well the FBI wouldn't comment when we approached them for a response to this interview from David Campbell.”
- “perhaps next year, when this civil lawsuit, this trillion dollar case, reaches the courts in the US.”
Broadcast Timeline
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