The most guarded pages about September 11 may finally see daylight—and they point to names that keep coming up.
Story Highlights
- Families want full release of files that describe possible Saudi-linked help to two hijackers.
- The long-hidden “28 pages” flagged contacts and assistance tied to Omar al-Bayoumi and Fahad al-Thumairy.
- Saudi officials say claims are false and urge full declassification to end “baseless allegations”.
- Courts have allowed the families’ case to advance, unlocking more discovery and testimony.
What Families Say The Files Show
Families describe a paper trail that begins with the 2002 congressional inquiry. The declassified “28 pages” say some hijackers had contact with, and got assistance from, individuals who might link back to the Saudi government. The names repeat across time: Omar al-Bayoumi and Fahad al-Thumairy. Reporting tied Bayoumi to “substantial assistance” for Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi after they landed in California, help that included housing and local navigation, critical for new arrivals.
Advocates point to communication patterns as well. Broadcast summaries cite dozens of calls between Bayoumi and Saudi diplomatic posts around the period the first hijackers arrived. They also note meetings involving Thumairy, a former Los Angeles consular official and cleric later barred from the United States. This is association evidence, not a confession. But it narrows the story to a small set of people whose roles, pay, and purpose demand clear answers in plain view.
Why This Matters Now
Civil litigation has started to pry open files that were long locked. Judges have moved key material into the sunlight, including items tied to Bayoumi that families say look like casing and planning notes. Admissibility is not a verdict; it is a doorway. But a courtroom forces sworn answers, timelines, and chain-of-custody proof that the public record has lacked for two decades. That is how rumors become facts—or fade—under oath and cross-exam.
The broader record has gaps. Agencies withheld parts of the inquiry for 13 years. Redactions still blot out names and context. That secrecy shaped public doubt. It also fed a simple, conservative point: government owes citizens transparency, especially when the topic is the worst attack on American soil. The fastest way to end speculation is to release the records, not summaries about the records.
What The 28 Pages Actually Say—and Do Not Say
The “28 pages” lay out leads and suspicious links. They do not state that the Saudi government directed the plot. Reporters who covered the release stressed that the pages flagged possible ties but did not deliver a final smoking gun. The document was a starting map for investigators, not a closing argument. That matters because the stakes—state sponsorship of mass murder—require proof that is direct, repeatable, and anchored by people and documents, not only inferences.
9/11 families to seek release of documents they say include Saudi Arabia's link to attack https://t.co/XBPRoSvx2i pic.twitter.com/xmCHdheORr
— WHIO Radio (@WHIORadio) October 7, 2026
Saudi officials counter that every formal review has cleared the kingdom of directing the attacks. The Saudi Embassy called any claim of complicity “categorically false,” and it has pushed for full declassification “to end the baseless allegations” once and for all. If that position is right, unsealing everything should help them most. If it is wrong, the record should show it in black and white, with dates, wires, memos, and names.
What A Clean Resolution Looks Like
Release the remaining redacted parts of the 28 pages, plus the source notes that trace each lead back to original files. Produce the complete Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency files on Bayoumi, Thumairy, and the money trails that supported them. Put British seizure records and chain-of-custody logs under oath. Authenticate the notebooks and video with forensic exams. Then place the people involved under sworn deposition with time-stamped calendars and pay records.
This is not about punishing an ally to score points. It is about American families and the rule of law. Conservative common sense says facts beat spin. If the evidence shows mere proximity and coincidence, say that, and close the book. If the evidence shows directed aid to the first two hijackers on American soil, then Congress, the courts, and the White House will have the basis to act. Either way, daylight settles it faster than doubt ever will.
Sources:
cnn.com, cbc.ca, politico.com, washingtonpost.com, propublica.org, apnews.com, foxnews.com, spa.gov.sa
