The FBI has accidentally revealed the name of a Saudi Embassy official in Washington who helped the terrorists commit the deadliest attack on U.S. soil.
Musaed Ahmed al-Jarrah’s role in helping the terrorist attacks has never been revealed or confirmed, but he is implied to have helped two of the al-Qaida hijackers who went on to commit the infamous terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, according to a court filing last week by the FBI. The FBI submitted the filing in response to a lawsuit brought by families of 9/11 victims. The lawsuit accuses the Saudi government of complicity in the terrorist attacks, Yahoo News reported. Jarah’s name has been a government secret for years.
Jarah worked at the Saudi Embassy in Washington since the mid-1990s as the deputy chief of the Islamic affairs. He left in 2005 after coming under scrutiny from the FBI for possible ties to other Saudis linked to Al Qaeda, according to ProPublica.
“There is evidence” that Jarrah arranged for two Saudi officials to help the first Al Qaeda hijackers after they arrived in California in 2000. That evidence comes from multiple reports, including a Freedom of Information Act request from online news organization the Florida Bulldog, as well as an investigation from ProPublica and the New York Times Magazine. There is no indication to date that suggests Jarrah had any knowledge of the attacks prior to them being committed.
“This shows there is a complete government cover-up of the Saudi involvement,” said a spokesman for the 9/11 families whose father was killed in the attacks, Brett Eagleson. “It demonstrates there was a hierarchy of command that’s coming from the Saudi Embassy to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs [in Los Angeles] to the hijackers.”
The Saudi government has denied any connection to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“Saudi Arabia is and has always been a close and critical ally of the U.S. in the fight against terrorism,” Saudi officials have previously said.
The FBI court filing was submitted by Jill Sanborn, the assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division. Justice Department officials have confirmed the name was released accidentally.
Sanborn was filing a declaration to support Attorney General William Barr and acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell’s recent filings that argue releasing Jarrah’s would jeopardize national security and that Jarah’s name and all related public documents are “state secrets.”
But, although Sanborn’s 40-page declaration blacks out Jarrah’s name in most instances, she forgot to fo so in at least one case, which was first noted by Yahoo News.
“Our government has been fighting us tooth and nail to prevent the release of this name, and now — lo and behold — we know his name,” Eagleson added. “What about this is a state secret? Why would our government go to such lengths to protect this guy? This proves it’s a giant cover-up to protect the Saudis.”
