The 28 pages

Last updated

The 28 pages refers to the final section of the December 2002 report of the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001, conducted by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This section is titled "Part IV: Finding, Discussion and Narrative Regarding Certain Sensitive National Security Matters," and summarizes investigative leads describing financial, logistical and other support provided to the hijackers and their associates by Saudi Arabian officials and others suspected of being Saudi agents. [1] It was declassified on July 15, 2016.

Contents

Contents

Declassified 28 pages 9-11 Joint Inquiry Report - Part Four.pdf
Declassified 28 pages

The 28 pages state that some of the 9/11 hijackers received financial support from individuals connected to the Saudi government. [2] FBI sources believed that at least two of those individuals were officers in the General Intelligence Presidency, the primary intelligence agency of Saudi Arabia. [2] The United States Intelligence Community believed that individuals associated with the Saudi government had ties to al-Qaeda. [2]

Plaintiffs in a 9/11 civil suit against Saudi Arabia have alleged that a November 1999 attempt by two men with longstanding ties to the Saudi government—Mohammed al-Qudhaeein and Hamdan al-Shalawi—to get inside an America West Airlines plane's cockpit was "a dry run for the 9/11 attacks." The FBI confirmed that the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. paid for Qudhaeein and Shalawi's tickets to board that flight. The 28 pages quoted a document from the FBI's Phoenix Field Office as stating: "Phoenix FBI now believes both men were specifically attempting to test the security procedures of America West Airlines in preparation for and in furtherance of UBL [ Osama bin Laden ]/Al Qaeda operations." [3] [4] A report in the Arizona Daily Wildcat from November 30, 1999, said that "Language analysis doctoral student Muhammad Al-Qudhaieen" and a friend were considering suing the FBI for alleged ethnic discrimination over having been handcuffed in front of fellow passengers 11 days earlier, November 19, 1999, during an "aircraft inspection" in Columbus, Ohio. [5] (This newspaper report documents the date of the incident and the airport used for the emergency landing.)

Some leaked information from CIA and FBI documents alleges that there is "incontrovertible evidence" that Saudi government officials, including from the Saudi embassy in Washington and consulate in Los Angeles, gave the hijackers both financial and logistical aid. Among those named were then-Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar and Osama Bassnan, a Saudi agent, as well as American al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, 9/11 ringleader Mohamed Atta, and Esam Ghazzawi, a Saudi adviser to the nephew of King Fahd. [6]

Classification decision

When the congressional joint inquiry report was published in July 2003, the 28-page section on possible Saudi links to the attacks was completely redacted at the insistence of the George W. Bush administration. President Bush claimed that releasing the material would "reveal sources and methods that would make it harder for us to win the war on terror." [7]

Movement to declassify the pages

In July 2003, Senator Bob Graham pressed the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to release the material, in accordance with its authority under Senate Resolution 400, which established the Committee in 1976. However, the committee did not vote, and his request was merely denied. Then-chair Senator Pat Roberts and Senator Jay Rockefeller wrote Graham that "it is our view that release of additional information from Part Four could adversely affect ongoing counterterrorism efforts." Graham later said the response showed that the Intelligence Committee had shown "a strong deference to the executive branch." [8] In the same month, Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) joined approximately 42 Democratic senators in calling on President Bush to release the 28-page section which was censored for "national security reasons". Senator Graham stated the refusal "is a continuation of the pattern of the last seven months—a pattern of delay and excessive use of national security standards to deny the people the knowledge of their vulnerability." [9]

Members of Congress periodically tried to effect the declassification of the 28 pages. In 2013, Representatives Walter B. Jones, Jr. and Stephen Lynch introduced a resolution urging President Barack Obama to declassify the pages; [6] [10] [11] Representatives Jones, Lynch and Massie introduced a similar resolution in 2015, which amassed 71 cosponsors. [12] In the same year, Senator Rand Paul introduced a bill to compel Obama to release the pages, and Senators Ron Wyden and Kirsten Gillibrand joined as cosponsors. [13]

In 2015, the U.S. government released a 9/11 Commission document, compiled by Dana Lesemann and Michael Jacobson, known as "Document 17." It was an overview of individuals of interest to investigators pursuing potential links to the Saudi government. Among dozens of named individuals are Fahad al-Thumairy, Omar al-Bayoumi, Osama Bassnan and Mohdhar Abdullah. Document 17 was first brought to public attention on April 19, 2016, on the website 28Pages.org. [14] [15] [16] According to then-former Senator Bob Graham, "Much of the information upon which File 17 was written was based on what's in the 28 pages." [17]

In April 2016, 60 Minutes aired a segment on the drive to declassify the 28 pages, featuring interviews with former Senator Graham, former Congressman and 9/11 Commission member Tim Roemer, and former 9/11 Commission member John Lehman, as well as attorneys representing 9/11 family members, survivors, and insurers. On the afternoon before the 60 Minutes segment aired, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued a statement urging the release of the pages. [18] [19] The Saudi government voiced support for the declassification of the 28 pages, saying it would "allow us to respond to any allegations in a clear and credible manner". [20] Congressman Stephen Lynch said, "I think there may be some duplicity on the part of the Saudis in terms of them desiring this to be disclosed." [21]

In July 2016, during the 2016 Republican National Convention, a proposed plank supporting the declassification of the 28 pages advanced from the national security subcommittee of the convention's platform committee. A motion to kill the plank was approved by the subsequent meeting of the full committee [22] [23] [24] Steve Yates led the successful effort to remove the plank. [25] [26] [27] [28]

Declassification

In 2016, following a declassification review, the Obama administration approved the declassification of the partially redacted 28 pages, the joint inquiry's only wholly classified section. The document was then sent to congressional leadership and on July 15, 2016, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence approved publication of the newly declassified section. [29] [30]

This declassification followed years of lobbying by families of those killed in the September 11 attacks, insurance companies and others. One influential figure in this effort was Bob Graham, who was a member of the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 as a senator from Florida. Among other things, he said, "the F.B.I. has gone beyond just covering up ... into what I call aggressive deception." [31]

In addition to the events documented in "the 28 pages", US federal government agencies seem to have had three other apparently independent sources of advance warning of the September 11 attacks that were not reported to the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001. One was a Saudi family in Sarasota, Florida, which was known by the FBI to have had multiple contacts with the hijackers-to-be training nearby, until the family fled just before the attacks. [31] Another was the Able Danger data mining operation, which reportedly identified two of the three terrorist cells, who subsequently executed the September 11 attacks. A third was an Iranian expatriate, who had warned the FBI multiple times of the impending September 11 attacks. Sibel Edmonds was reportedly fired for insisting that the evidence they had not be suppressed as she says it was.

Location of the 28 pages

The document is kept in a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) in the basement of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

Omar al-Bayoumi is a Saudi national linked to two of the 9/11 hijackers in the United States, though he says he simply befriended the pair rather than ran them as agents. Files of the US FBI dating to before the attacks demonstrate that he was a Saudi Arabian intelligence agent. An FBI report declassified in September 2021 lays out evidence that al-Bayoumi had links to known terrorists, provided significant support to 9/11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar upon their arrival in the US, and communicated with a key logistics facilitator for Osama bin Laden, each time immediately following significant logistics support to Hazmi and Mihdhar. An FBI report declassified in March 2022 lays out evidence that "there is a 50/50 chance [al-Bayoumi] had advanced knowledge the 9/11 attacks were to occur." from the two Islamists he befriended that were involved in plotting 9/11. al-Bayoumi also helped the Islamists find housing in San Diego.

The Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001, is the official name of the inquiry conducted by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence into the activities of the U.S. Intelligence Community in connection with the attacks of September 11, 2001. The investigation began in February 2002 and the final report was released in December 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sibel Edmonds</span> American whistleblower (born 1970)

Sibel Edmonds is a former contract translator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the founder and editor-in-chief of the independent news website NewsBud.

Able Danger was a classified military planning effort led by the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). It was created as a result of a directive from the Joint Chiefs of Staff in early October 1999 by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hugh Shelton, to develop an information operations campaign plan against transnational terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zacarias Moussaoui</span> French Al-Qaeda member imprisoned in the US

Zacarias Moussaoui is a French member of al-Qaeda who pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to conspiring to kill citizens of the United States as part of the 9/11 attacks. He is serving life imprisonment without the possibility of parole at the Federal ADX Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. Moussaoui is the only person ever convicted in U.S. court in connection with the 11 September attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">September 11 attacks</span> 2001 Islamist terror attacks in the United States

The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist suicide terrorist attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda against the United States on September 11, 2001. That morning, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners scheduled to travel from the East Coast to California. The hijackers crashed the first two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, two of the world's five tallest buildings at the time, and aimed the next two flights toward targets in or near Washington, D.C., in an attack on the nation's capital. The third team succeeded in striking the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense in Arlington County, Virginia, while the fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania during a passenger revolt. The September 11 attacks killed 2,977 people, making them the deadliest terrorist attack in history, and instigated the multi-decade global war on terror, fought in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porter Goss</span> American politician (born 1938)

Porter Johnston Goss is an American politician and government official who served as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2004 to 2006. He was the last Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from 2004 to 2005, then became the first Director of the Central Intelligence Agency following the passage of the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which abolished the DCI position and replaced it with the Director of National Intelligence on December 17, 2004

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International counter-terrorism activities of the CIA</span>

After the Central Intelligence Agency lost its role as the coordinator of the entire United States Intelligence Community (IC), special coordinating structures were created by each president to fit his administrative style and the perceived level of threat from terrorists during his term.

Various conspiracy theories allege that certain institutions or individuals had foreknowledge of the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001. Some of the primary debates include whether the Bush administration or the United States Armed Forces had awareness of the planned attack methods, the precise volume of intelligence that American agencies had regarding al-Qaeda activities inside the United States, whether the put options placed on United Airlines and American Airlines and other trades indicated foreknowledge, and why the identities of the traders have never been made public.

The 9/11 Commission, which investigated the terrorist September 11 attacks on the United States, was subject to a variety of criticisms by politicians, government officers, and private groups and citizens. The commission was created on November 27, 2002 by a bill passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Soufan</span> Lebanese-American former FBI agent (born 1971)

Ali H. Soufan is a Lebanese-American former FBI agent who was involved in a number of high-profile anti-terrorism cases both in the United States and around the world. A 2006 New Yorker article described Soufan as coming closer than anyone to preventing the September 11 attacks and implied that he would have succeeded had the CIA been willing to share information with him. He resigned from the FBI in 2005 after publicly chastising the CIA for not sharing intelligence with him which could have prevented the attacks.

At around 9:30 pm on September 11, 2001, George Tenet, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) told President George W. Bush and U.S. senior officials that the CIA's Counterterrorism Center had determined that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda were responsible for the September 11 attacks. Two weeks after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation connected the hijackers to al-Qaeda, a militant Salafist Islamist multi-national organization. In a number of video, audio, interview and printed statements, senior members of al-Qaeda have also asserted responsibility for organizing the September 11 attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Benghazi attack</span> Attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya

The 2012 Benghazi attack was a coordinated attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, by members of the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Ratcliffe (American politician)</span> American politician (born 1965)

John Lee Ratcliffe is an American politician and attorney who served as the Director of National Intelligence from 2020 to 2021. He previously served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 4th district from 2015 to 2020. During his time in Congress, Ratcliffe was regarded as one of the most conservative members. Ratcliffe also served as Mayor of Heath, Texas, from 2004 to 2012 and acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas from May 2007 to April 2008.

Since the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001, allegations of Saudi government involvement in the attacks have been made, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regularly denying such claims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Trump's disclosures of classified information</span> Disclosures by the 21st-century US president

Donald Trump's handling of United States government records, especially those containing classified information, during his tenure as the 45th U.S. president has come under scrutiny. A number of incidents in which the president disclosed classified information to foreign powers and private individuals have become publicly known, sometimes with distinct national security and diplomatic consequences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Links between Trump associates and Russian officials</span>

Since Donald Trump was a 2016 candidate for the office of President of the United States, myriad suspicious links between Trump associates and Russian officials have been discovered by the FBI, Special counsel, and several United States congressional committees, as part of their investigations into the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Following intelligence reports about the Russian interference, Trump and some of his campaign members, business partners, administration nominees, and family members were subjected to intense scrutiny to determine whether they had improper dealings during their contacts with Russian officials. Several people connected to the Trump campaign made false statements about those links and obstructed investigations. These investigations resulted in many criminal charges and indictments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal</span> Dispute about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections

Since 2016, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his allies have promoted several conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal. One such theory seeks to blame Ukraine, instead of Russia, for interference in the 2016 United States presidential election. Also among the conspiracy theories are accusations against Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, and several elements of the right-wing Russia investigation origins counter-narrative. American intelligence believes that Russia engaged in a years long campaign to frame Ukraine for the 2016 election interference, that the Kremlin is the prime mover behind promotion of the fictitious alternative narratives, and that these are harmful to the United States. FBI director Christopher A. Wray stated to ABC News that "We have no information that indicates that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 presidential election" and that "as far as the [2020] election itself goes, we think Russia represents the most significant threat."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russia investigation origins counter-narrative</span> Conspiracy theory concerning the 2016 US elections

The Russia investigation origins counter-narrative, or Russia counter-narrative, is a conspiracy theory narrative embraced by Donald Trump, Republican Party leaders, and right-wing conservatives attacking the legitimacy and conclusions of the investigations. The narrative includes conspiracy theories such as Spygate, accusations of a secretive, all-powerful elite "deep state" network, and other false and debunked claims. Trump in particular has attacked not only the origins but the conclusions of the investigation, and ordered a review of the Mueller report, which was conducted by attorney general William Barr – alleging there was a "deep state plot" to undermine him. He has claimed the investigations were an "illegal hoax", and that the "real collusion" was between Hillary Clinton, Democrats, and Russia – and later, Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2019)</span>

This is a timeline of major events in second half of 2019 related to the investigations into the myriad links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies that are suspected of being inappropriate, relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections before and after July 2016 up until election day November 8, and the transition, the first and second halves of 2017, the first and second halves of 2018, and the first half of 2019, but precedes that of 2020 and 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "As you know, the final report of the Joint Inquiry into the events of September 11 has been submitted to the Intelligence Community for declasslflcation review. We look forward to early release of the publlc report so that efforts at reforms can be accelerated" (PDF). 28pagesdotorg.files.wordpress.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "Declassified version of 28 pages Archived 2016-07-15 at the Wayback Machine ". United States House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence . December 2002. Accessed on July 15, 2016.
  3. ↑ Sperry, Paul (2017-09-09). "Saudi government allegedly funded a 'dry run' for 9/11". New York Post . Archived from the original on 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  4. ↑ "Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001/Part 4 (Declassified)". United States Government Printing Office. 2016-07-15. pp. 419, 433. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  5. ↑ Audrey DeAnda (30 November 1999). "UA student outraged at America West". Arizona Daily Wildcat . Wikidata   Q114922501.
  6. 1 2 Sperry, Paul (15 December 2013). "Inside the Saudi 9/11 coverup". New York Post. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "Bush Won't Reveal Saudi 9/11 Info". Cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  8. ↑ Watkins, ali. "Senate intelligence panel could seek to declassify documents; it just doesn't". McClatchydc.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  9. ↑ Karl, Jonathan; Turnham, Steve (30 July 2003). "GOP senator joins push to declassify 9/11 report; Bush rejects calls for release of information". Cnn.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  10. ↑ "Letter to Barack Obama" (PDF). Jones.house.gov. 10 April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  11. ↑ H.Res.428 - Urging the president to release information regarding the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks upon the United States Archived September 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , 113th Congress (2013-2014) at Congress.gov.
  12. ↑ "Cosponsors - H.Res.14 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Urging the president to release information regarding the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks upon the United States". Congress.gov. 6 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  13. ↑ Paul, Rand (1 June 2015). "Cosponsors - S.1471 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): Transparency for the Families of 9/11 Victims and Survivors Act of 2015". Congress.gov. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  14. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE- A Buried Envelope & Buried Questions: Your First Look Inside Declassified Document 17". 28pages.org. 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  15. ↑ "Updated work plans and detailed list of associates" (PDF). 28pagesdotorg.files.wordpress.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  16. ↑ "About". 28pages.org. 13 August 2015. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  17. ↑ Riechmann, Deb. "File 17 Is Glimpse Into Still-Secret 28 Pages About 9/11". Associated Press. ABC News. Archived from the original on 3 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  18. ↑ Master, Cyra (10 April 2016). "'60 Minutes': Classified '28 pages' may shed light on Saudi ties to terrorism". TheHill.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  19. ↑ "Newsroom - The Office of Majority Leader Steny Hoyer". Majorityleader.gov. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  20. ↑ Buncombe, Andrew (25 April 2016). "Obama administration 'set to release' secret 28 pages from 9/11 report". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  21. ↑ "September 11th and the missing 28 pages". Msnbc.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  22. ↑ "Trump confidant was willing to share information with UAE: Leaked emails show a close working relationship between the Emiratis and Trump's circle while he was still a candidate". Al Jazeerah . June 29, 2018. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  23. ↑ Hearst, David (June 28, 2018). "Revealed: How Trump confidant was ready to share inside information with UAE: Emails will be of interest to Mueller investigation, which is looking at whether the UAE and Saudi funnelled payments to Trump's campaign". Middle East Eye . Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  24. ↑ McGlinchey, Brian (July 2, 2018). "Leaked Emails Suggest Trump Campaign Duplicity on 28 Pages". Ron Paul Institute . Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Cheney Advisor Led Effort to Kill GOP Platform Plank on 28 Pages". 28pages.org. July 14, 2016. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  26. ↑ Congress, U. S. (October 28, 2003). "The Congressional Record-Senate". Books.google.com. p. 26042. ISBN   9780160795305 . Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  27. ↑ Kroft, Steve (April 10, 2016). "28 Pages: Former Sen. Bob Graham and others urge the Obama administration to declassify redacted pages of a report that holds 9/11 secrets". CBS News: 60 Minutes . Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  28. ↑ Wright, Lawrence (September 9, 2014). "The Twenty-Eight Pages". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  29. ↑ Sciutto, Jim; Walsh, Deirdre (15 July 2016). "Congress releases '28 pages' on alleged Saudi 9/11 ties". CNN. Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  30. ↑ Jack Langer (15 July 2016). "Intel Committee publishes declassified "28 pages"". Intelligence.house.gov. Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  31. 1 2 Carl Hulse (13 April 2015). "Florida Ex-Senator Pursues Claims of Saudi Ties to Sept. 11 Attacks". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Wikidata   Q65002265..
  32. ↑ DePetris, Daniel R. (6 May 2016). "The 28 Pages: What's Taking So Long?". The National Interest. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.