(Ken Silva, Headline USA) A recently released court record revealed shocking new information about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, citing anonymous FBI agents who told investigators that the CIA was monitoring and attempting to recruit two of the airplane hijackers in the lead-up to the attack.
This new information is reportedly contained in a heavily redacted 21-page court document filed at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. The document was never reported on because it was heavily redacted, but veteran national security reporter Seth Hettena said he obtained an un-redacted copy.
The court filing is a sworn statement from Office of Military Commissions investigator Don Canestraro, who summarized the inteviews he’s conducted with FBI agents about the 9/11 case.
According to Canestraro, at least two FBI agents told him that the CIA had attempted to recruit two of the hijackers—Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar. The CIA was directing its recruiting efforts through Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi intelligence asset who was acting as a handler for al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar.
One of the FBI agents, identified as “CS-3” in the court filing, said that al-Bayoumi set up bank accounts and rented apartments for the two hijackers in San Diego. CS-3 said this was done at the behest of the CIA through the Saudi intelligence services, according to the filing.
“According to CS-3, prior to the 9/11 attacks, the CIA was under pressure to recruit informants within al-Qaeda,” the court filing states. “Responding to this pressure, [an unidentified CIA official] and his/her colleagues at the CIA were attempting to recruit al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar via a liaison relationship with the Saudi GID.”
Another FBI agent, identified as CS-23, made similar statements, according to Canestraro.
“CS-23 told me that the attempt to recruit al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar was an operation directed by the Central Intelligence Agency. CS-23 told me that the CIA used their liaison relationship with the Saudi intelligence services to conduct an operation on U.S. soil,” Canestraro said in the court filing.
Along with the FBI agents, Canestraro spoke with former Deputy National Security Advisor Richard Clarke, who has spoken about the CIA-recruitment theory publicly.
Clarke reportedly told Canestraro that the reason the CIA was recruiting the hijackers was for a “false flag operation.”
“According to Mr. Clarke, this ‘false flag’ operation would have involved al-Bayoumi befriending the two hijackers by attempting to convince them that he was sympathetic to their cause,” Canestraro said in the court filing.
“At the same time, al-Bayoumi would have been reporting on the hijackers’ activities to Saudi intelligence and ultimately to the CIA.”
In response to these new revelations, a CIA spokesperson reportedly denied that the agency was hiding information, while the FBI declined to comment. The reporter who broke the story, Hettena, quoted an unnamed CIA official who had much stronger words to say about the new information.
According to this CIA official, the FBI is trying to blame the CIA for its own failures.
“For them to say we’re holding out on them now—fuck you,” the CIA veteran reportedly said. “That’s what I want to say to all of you: Fuck you, assholes. Three thousand people dead and 22 years later, and you’re still trying to wash the stain off the FBI.”
