NEW YORK — As families prepare to gather at Ground Zero for the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, some are calling for the release of more evidence they say could shed light on what happened before the attacks.
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The families of nearly 3,000 victims say newly uncovered material points to a possible accomplice who may have helped two of the hijackers settle in the United States.
The material includes a home video, notes and sketches involving Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who said he was living in California as a student at the time.
The FBI has said al-Bayoumi was actually a Saudi intelligence asset who helped two of the hijackers settle in the U.S.
The families’ lawsuit against Saudi Arabia says a 1999 home video shows al-Bayoumi casing the U.S. Capitol for a possible attack.
Brett Eagleson, whose father was killed on 9/11, is among the families involved in the lawsuit.
“We’ve identified and uncovered what I consider to be smoking gun evidence,” Eagleson said.
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Saudi Arabia has maintained that it had no role in facilitating the attacks. In court, Saudi officials downplayed the new material, describing it as “a document that appears to be a high school math assignment and a tourist video.”
Al-Bayoumi later told investigators he was not a spy and had only “helped two fellow Saudis he had no reason to suspect of wrongdoing.”
The families are now calling on President Donald Trump to release additional documents and recordings, including phone calls.
A White House spokesperson said Trump is “working diligently to identify records that are responsive to these families’ request.”
The push comes as New York prepares for Friday’s 25th anniversary commemoration at Ground Zero. The names of those killed will be read during the ceremony, with moments of silence marking the times of the attacks.
Security has also increased around the memorial site ahead of the ceremony.
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