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9/11 Victim’s Son Exposes U.S. ‘Cover-Up’ of Saudi Arabia

62 claims checked · Published September 2026 · Checked September 2026

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  1. Claim 1
    Accurate99% confidence▶ 0:00
    “Your father, Bruce, was in the South Tower on September the 11th, 2001.”

    Bruce Eagleson was in the South Tower on September 11, 2001.

    Contemporary reporting and later accounts identify Bruce Eagleson as working on the 17th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower during the September 11 attacks.

    Sources

  2. Claim 2
    Accurate99% confidence▶ 0:06
    “We've never uh recovered him. There's been nothing.”

    Bruce Eagleson’s remains have never been recovered.

    Reporting on the Eagleson family states that Bruce’s remains were never recovered, not even a trace.

    Sources

  3. Claim 3
    Accurate99% confidence▶ 0:10
    “The families of 911 victims have filed a civil lawsuit against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

    Families of 9/11 victims have filed a civil lawsuit against Saudi Arabia.

    The families’ civil litigation against Saudi Arabia is documented in court-related reporting and U.S. government materials describing the JASTA lawsuit.

    Sources

    • 120 years after 9/11, lawsuit against Saudis hits key moment

      SupportsA lawsuit that accuses Saudi Arabia of being complicit took a major step forward this year with the questioning under oath of former Saudi officials, but those depositions remain under seal and the U.S. has withheld a trove of other documents as too sensitive for disclosure.

    • 2U.S. Department of Justice

      SupportsFor years, these survivors and family members have sought information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with their lawsuit filed pursuant to the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).

  4. Claim 4
    Unverifiable88% confidence▶ 0:14
    “What we've learned is that the US government has engaged in a systematic cover up of Saudi Arabia's role since about 2 weeks after 9/11.”

    The U.S. government engaged in a systematic cover-up of Saudi Arabia’s role beginning about two weeks after 9/11.

    The allegation is not well-posed enough to verify because “systematic cover up” has no agreed operational definition, and the transcript gives no specific acts that establish when such a cover-up began. Sources document withheld or redacted records and continuing allegations, but do not establish the claim as stated.

    Sources

    • 1Timeline - 911JusticeOrg

      BackgroundThousands of documents critical to revealing the truth about the Saudi role in the attacks remain classified and those produced are heavily redacted by the U.S. government.

    • 220 years after 9/11, lawsuit against Saudis hits key moment

      BackgroundThe lawsuit that accuses Saudi Arabia of being complicit took a major step forward this year with the questioning under oath of former Saudi officials, but those depositions remain under seal and the U.S. has withheld a trove of other documents as too sensitive for disclosure.

  5. Claim 5
    Accurate50% confidence▶ 0:23
    “How did you and other 911 families feel about the president of United States hosting a Saudi back to golf tournament?”

    The U.S. president hosted a Saudi-backed golf tournament.

    The statement refers to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf event held at Donald Trump’s Bedminster course, which Trump hosted while president or former president depending on the event date.

    Sources

  6. Claim 6
    Accurate50% confidence▶ 0:34
    “There were these calls for New York City Mayor Zoran Mandani to be banned from attending uh the 25th commemoration ceremony.”

    Calls were made for Zohran Mamdani to be barred from the 25th-anniversary 9/11 commemoration ceremony.

    The name is misspelled in the transcript, but reporting confirms that family members and political figures called for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend the 25th-anniversary ceremony.

    Sources

  7. Claim 7
    Accurate100% confidence▶ 0:55
    “which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people”

    The September 11 attacks claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people.

    The National September 11 Memorial & Museum records 2,977 people killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, which is accurately described as nearly 3,000.

    Sources

    • 19/11 FAQs

      SupportsThe attacks killed 2,977 people from 90 nations: 2,753 people were killed in New York; 184 people were killed at the Pentagon; and 40 people were killed on Flight 93.

  8. Claim 8
    Accurate99% confidence▶ 1:09
    “Brett Eaglesen, whose father, Bruce, died in the South Tower on 911. Brett is now the president of 911 Justice”

    Brett Eagleson is the president of 9/11 Justice.

    9/11 Justice’s own website identifies Brett Eagleson as its president, and independent reporting also describes him in that role.

    Sources

  9. Claim 9
    Accurate100% confidence▶ 2:27
    “And my dad was on the 17th floor of the South Tower.”

    Bruce Eagleson was on the 17th floor of the South Tower during the attacks.

    Multiple contemporary accounts state that Bruce Eagleson was working on the 17th floor of the South Tower when the plane struck.

    Sources

    • 1City remembers thousands who perished at WTC

      SupportsBruce Eagleson, 53, of Middlefield, was on the 17th floor of the South Tower when Flight 175 struck the building.

    • 2September 11, 2002

      SupportsBruce Eagleson, 53, a vice president of the Westfield Group, was at a meeting on the 17th floor of the World Trade Center when a jet struck the building.

  10. Claim 10
    Accurate50% confidence▶ 2:30
    “Westfield owns and operates malls all over the world.”

    Westfield operates shopping malls in multiple countries around the world.

    Contemporary corporate filings describe Westfield as managing a portfolio of shopping centers across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, supporting the general claim that it operated malls internationally.

    Sources

    • 1Westfield America SEC filing

      SupportsWestfield Holdings acts as developer, architect, builder, property manager and funds manager for a A$22.5 billion portfolio of shopping center assets that comprise more than 65 million square feet of retail space and include 87 shopping centers in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and the United States, including the 39 shopping centers owned by the Company.

  11. Claim 11
    Accurate50% confidence▶ 2:30
    “He was working for a company called Westfield.”

    Bruce Eagleson worked for Westfield.

    Government and contemporary corporate records identify Bruce Eagleson as a vice president or employee of the Westfield Group.

    Sources

    • 1September 11, 2002

      SupportsBruce Eagleson, 53, a vice president of the Westfield Group, was at a meeting on the 17th floor of the World Trade Center when a jet struck the building.

    • 2John Bruce Eagleson

      SupportsThe Westfield Group | Vice President

  12. Claim 12
    False50% confidence▶ 2:34
    “They had a few in the UK, um I believe two in Italy, um many in Australia, and probably over 50 in the United States.”

    At the time, Westfield had a few malls in the United Kingdom, two in Italy, many in Australia, and probably more than 50 in the United States.

    The specific geographic and numerical description is contradicted by contemporaneous records. In particular, the documented U.S. count was 39 centers in late 2001, and the cited 2001 corporate filing lists Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States rather than Italy.

    Sources

    • 1Westfield America SEC filing

      RefutesWestfield Holdings acts as developer, architect, builder, property manager and funds manager for a A$22.5 billion portfolio of shopping center assets that comprise more than 65 million square feet of retail space and include 87 shopping centers in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and the United States, including the 39 shopping centers owned by the Company.

    • 2Westfield Agrees to Buy 9 U.S. Shopping Malls

      RefutesWestfield America Trust, an Australian real estate company that owns all or part of 39 U.S. shopping centers, said the acquisition of the Jacobs properties will increase its portfolio by 9.7 million square feet of space.

  13. Claim 13
    Misleading50% confidence▶ 2:52
    “the World Trade Center had recently just been uh leased to uh Silverstein Properties.”

    The World Trade Center had recently been leased to Silverstein Properties.

    In April 2001, Westfield announced a 99-year lease for the World Trade Center's retail component, while Silverstein Properties concurrently leased the 10-million-square-foot office complex. The statement is therefore broadly related to the 2001 leasing but misleading when applied to the entire World Trade Center.

    Omits: The retail component was separately leased to Westfield America, while Silverstein Properties leased the office complex; describing the entire World Trade Center as leased to Silverstein omits that division.

    Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Accurate and the second Misleading. Recorded as Misleading.

    Sources

    • 1Westfield America Trust announcement

      RefutesWestfield America officials today announced that the Company has reached an agreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to lease the retail component of the World Trade Center for 99 years. Concurrently, Silverstein Properties has entered into an agreement for the lease of the 10 million square foot office complex.

  14. Claim 14
    Accurate99% confidence▶ 3:07
    “that Westfield, my dad's company, leased the retail component of the World Trade Center and Silverstein leased the office component from the Port Authority.”

    Westfield leased the World Trade Center's retail component, while Silverstein leased the office component from the Port Authority.

    Contemporaneous and official Port Authority records describe Westfield's lease of the retail components and Silverstein-related entities' leases of the office towers and buildings.

    Sources

    • 1Westfield America Trust announcement: Selected for retail component of World Trade Center

      SupportsWestfield America officials today announced that the Company has reached an agreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to lease the retail component of the World Trade Center for 99 years. Concurrently, Silverstein Properties has entered into an agreement for the lease of the 10 million square foot office complex.

    • 2Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007 financial statement

      SupportsOn July 24, 2001, the Port Authority entered into net leases with respect to One, Two, Four and Five World Trade Center with single purpose entities established by Silverstein Properties, Inc. (the Silverstein net lessees), and with respect to the retail components of the World Trade Center, with a single purpose entity established by an affiliate of Westfield America, Inc.

  15. Claim 15
    Accurate98% confidence▶ 3:18
    “They engaged in a 99-year lease and my dad's company was in charge of all the retail.”

    The leases were for 99 years, and Westfield controlled the World Trade Center's retail operations.

    The Westfield announcement describes a 99-year retail lease, and identifies Westfield's leasehold as covering the World Trade Center mall and its retail stores and restaurants.

    Sources

  16. Claim 16
    Accurate98% confidence▶ 3:29
    “they had just undertaken a lease in July, I believe, of 2001. That's when the lease became effective.”

    The lease became effective in July 2001.

    The Port Authority's records date the relevant net leases to July 24, 2001, matching the speaker's qualified reference to July 2001.

    Sources

    • 1Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 2007 financial statement

      SupportsOn July 24, 2001, the Port Authority entered into net leases with respect to One, Two, Four and Five World Trade Center with single purpose entities established by Silverstein Properties, Inc. (the Silverstein net lessees), and with respect to the retail components of the World Trade Center, with a single purpose entity established by an affiliate of Westfield America, Inc.

    • 2SR International Co. v. World Trade Center Properties

      SupportsIn July 2001, the Silverstein Parties entered into 99-year leases with the Port Authority for the commercial space in the WTC, which comprised the North and South Towers, buildings 4 and 5, the retail mall, and related sub-grade spaces.

  17. Claim 17
    Unverifiable50% confidence▶ 4:56
    “he told all uh 13 of his employees working there that day to get out of the building, get out of the lobby.”

    The speaker's father instructed all 13 employees working there that day to leave the building and lobby.

    This is a specific personal account, but the transcript does not identify the father, the employees, or an independently checkable contemporaneous record confirming the number 13 or the instruction.

    Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Unverifiable and the second Accurate. Recorded as Unverifiable.

    Sources: none found for this claim.

  18. Claim 18
    Accurate98% confidence▶ 5:10
    “the FDNY was having a really hard time communicating with each other”

    The FDNY was having serious difficulty communicating during the World Trade Center response.

    The 9/11 Commission documented communication difficulties involving FDNY radios, particularly in high-rise conditions, and described communications as increasingly difficult during the response.

    Sources

    • 1The 9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 9

      SupportsOther firefighters did not receive the evacuation transmissions, for one of four reasons: First, some FDNY radios did not pick up the transmission because of the difficulties of radio communications in high-rises.

    • 2The 9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 9

      SupportsWith that escalation, communications as well as command and control became increasingly critical and increasingly difficult.

  19. Claim 19
    Unverifiable50% confidence▶ 5:27
    “at some point, you know, during that journey, that's when the South Tower fell on him. and we've never uh recovered him.”

    The South Tower collapsed while the speaker's father was returning upstairs, and he was never recovered.

    The South Tower's collapse is well documented, but the transcript does not identify the father or provide enough information to independently verify that he was in the collapse zone or that his remains were never recovered.

    Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Unverifiable and the second Accurate. Recorded as Unverifiable.

    Sources

    • 1The 9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 9

      BackgroundAt 9:58:59, the South Tower collapsed in ten seconds, killing all civilians and emergency personnel inside, as well a number of individuals-both first responders and civilians-in the concourse, in the Marriott, and on neighboring streets.

  20. Claim 20
    Unverifiable50% confidence▶ 5:54
    “3,000 people lost their lives uh in the World Trade Center and the”

    Approximately 3,000 people died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

    The standard death toll for the World Trade Center attack site is 2,753, while 2,977 is the total for the entire September 11 attacks. Thus, attributing approximately 3,000 deaths specifically to the World Trade Center is inaccurate.

    Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned False and the second Accurate. Recorded as Unverifiable.

    Sources

  21. Claim 21
    Misleading96% confidence▶ 6:01
    “the 40% of victims who have never been formally identified uh since 9/11.”

    About 40% of 9/11 victims had never been formally identified.

    New York City officials reported that 1,099 of the 2,753 people killed at the World Trade Center—40%—remained unidentified. Stating this as 40% of all 9/11 victims omits the narrower World Trade Center scope.

    Omits: The 40% figure refers specifically to victims of the World Trade Center attack in New York, not all victims of the broader 9/11 attacks, which also included people killed at the Pentagon and near Shanksville.

    Sources

  22. Claim 22
    Accurate99% confidence▶ 6:07
    “ABC News reported uh that one of the victims was identified just weeks ago, which is astonishing, 25 years on uh using genetic genealogy, combining DNA testing with family tree research”

    ABC News reported that a 9/11 victim was identified in August 2026 using genetic genealogy, which combines DNA testing with family-tree research, nearly 25 years after the attacks.

    ABC News reported on August 23–24, 2026, that a World Trade Center victim was identified using genetic genealogy, defined there as combining DNA testing with family-tree research. The identification occurred nearly 25 years after September 11, 2001.

    Sources

  23. Claim 23
    Accurate100% confidence▶ 8:09
    “And the families of 911 victims have filed a civil lawsuit against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

    Families of 9/11 victims filed a civil lawsuit against Saudi Arabia.

    The litigation is a longstanding federal civil action brought by 9/11 victims' relatives and other plaintiffs seeking to hold Saudi Arabia liable for alleged assistance to the hijackers.

    Sources

  24. Claim 24
    Accurate100% confidence▶ 8:13
    “15 of the 19 hijackers on 911 were Saudi nationals.”

    Fifteen of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals.

    The FBI and the 9/11 Commission both state that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from or were nationals of Saudi Arabia.

    Sources

  25. Claim 25
    Accurate95% confidence▶ 8:17
    “The Saudi government has always denied any involvement in the attacks”

    The Saudi government has consistently denied involvement in the 9/11 attacks.

    Contemporary reporting describes Saudi Arabia as having long denied involvement in the attacks, and the kingdom continues to reject the allegations.

    The word "always" is judged as describing the Saudi government's longstanding public position, not literally every private or public statement by every Saudi official.

    Sources

  26. Claim 26
    False99% confidence▶ 8:40
    “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia right now is standing trial for its role in the murder of nearly 3,000 Americans.”

    Saudi Arabia is currently standing trial for its role in killing nearly 3,000 Americans in the 9/11 attacks.

    As of the relevant proceedings, a federal judge had ruled that the claims were legally sufficient to proceed toward trial, while expressly distinguishing jurisdiction from the merits; no trial or merits finding had occurred. The statement is also false in calling all nearly 3,000 victims Americans.

    Sources

  27. Claim 27
    Accurate97% confidence▶ 8:47
    “They've tried two times now to have the case dismissed and they've been they have been denied. Right now, we are going to trial.”

    Saudi Arabia has unsuccessfully sought dismissal of the lawsuit twice, and the case is proceeding toward trial.

    The court denied Saudi Arabia's motion to dismiss in March 2018 and denied its renewed motion in August 2025. The case was allowed to proceed toward trial, although the court had not yet conducted a trial or decided the merits.

    Sources

  28. Claim 28
    Accurate50% confidence▶ 9:06
    “We're currently in the court of appeals. So, the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals has been fully briefed on this.”

    The case is currently before the Second Circuit and the briefing is complete.

    The litigation was before the Second Circuit after Saudi Arabia appealed the district court’s ruling. Available reporting describes the appeal as pending before that court.

    Sources

  29. Claim 29
    Accurate98% confidence▶ 9:14
    “oral arguments are scheduled for October 7th.”

    Oral arguments in the appeal were scheduled for October 7.

    A contemporaneous report states that the Second Circuit had scheduled oral arguments for October 7.

    Sources

  30. Claim 30
    Accurate99% confidence▶ 9:55
    “They also, as you say, have tried to dismiss this case, saying they have sovereign immunity from civil suits uh in the United States.”

    Saudi Arabia sought dismissal of the case on sovereign-immunity grounds.

    Saudi Arabia argued that sovereign immunity barred the civil claims, and its motion sought dismissal of the lawsuit.

    Sources

  31. Claim 31
    Accurate50% confidence▶ 10:02
    “the judge judges have rejected that along the way.”

    Judges had rejected Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-immunity argument at that stage of the litigation.

    Judge George Daniels denied Saudi Arabia’s motion to dismiss and rejected its argument that sovereign immunity prevented the case from proceeding under the applicable statutory exception.

    Sources

    • 1September 11, 2001 | Litigation Timeline

      SupportsU.S. District Court Judge George Daniels denied Saudi Arabia’s motion to dismiss rejecting Saudi Arabia’s argument that the exception to its sovereign immunity, provided by the Justice Against State Sponsors of Terrorism Act, does not apply.

  32. Claim 32
    Unverifiable84% confidence▶ 10:18
    “What we've learned is that the US government has engaged in a systematic cover up of Saudi Arabia's role since about two weeks after 911.”

    The U.S. government engaged in a systematic cover-up of Saudi Arabia’s role beginning about two weeks after 9/11.

    Available evidence shows that some Bayoumi material was not widely shared and that important evidence may not have reached investigators or the 9/11 Commission. But “systematic cover up” implies an intentional, coordinated government effort, and the cited records do not establish that broad characterization.

    Sources

  33. Claim 33
    Accurate88% confidence▶ 10:30
    “Two weeks after 9/11, the FBI in New York calls up their counterparts in uh London and they call up the London field office and they say, "You guys need to go and raid Omar Elbe's flat in Birmingham England."”

    The FBI asked British authorities to act against Bayoumi in Birmingham shortly after 9/11, leading to a search that produced substantial evidence.

    The FBI asked British authorities to arrest Bayoumi in Birmingham about ten days after the attacks, and British investigators searched his residence and seized evidence. “Two weeks” is an approximate description rather than the exact ten-day interval.

    Sources

  34. Claim 34
    Accurate97% confidence▶ 10:48
    “that they see sees troves of documents files videotapes phone books, um all sorts of evidence. Scotland Yard makes copies, they keep the originals and send the copies to their counterparts in the FBI back to New York.”

    Scotland Yard seized numerous documents and other materials from Bayoumi’s residence, retained the originals, and sent copies to the FBI.

    Records describe boxes of papers, photographs, computer disks, videotapes and an address book being seized, with copies sent to the FBI’s New York office while the British retained the originals.

    Sources

  35. Claim 35
    Misleading86% confidence▶ 11:05
    “What we've learned is what was in those um uh documents was buried. it was never shown to the 911 commission.”

    The contents of the seized materials were never shown to the 9/11 Commission.

    Recent reporting and congressional materials support the narrower claim that important pieces of the seized evidence were not turned over to the 9/11 Commission. But saying that what was in the documents was never shown overstates the evidence and ignores other Bayoumi material the Commission did receive.

    Omits: The claim generalizes from particular evidence, such as the aviation diagram and Capitol video, that reportedly was not provided to the Commission; official records say most of the seized materials had reached the FBI before the Commission’s report, and the Commission received other Bayoumi-related evidence.

    Sources

  36. Claim 36
    Accurate98% confidence▶ 11:28
    “Omar al Bayoumi is a Saudi national who was living in California, was connected to two of the hijackers. Um, and moved to the UK, as you say, where the police raiders department.”

    Omar al-Bayoumi was a Saudi national connected to two hijackers, lived in California, and later moved to the United Kingdom.

    Bayoumi was a Saudi national who lived in San Diego, assisted Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, and moved to Birmingham, England, before his arrest.

    Sources

  37. Claim 37
    Accurate50% confidence▶ 11:39
    “He's now, correct me if I'm wrong, back in Saudi Arabia, living as a free man.”

    Bayoumi returned to Saudi Arabia and was not imprisoned or charged, allowing him to live freely there.

    Reporting states that Bayoumi returned to Saudi Arabia after his British detention and was never charged with a crime. “Living as a free man” is colloquial but consistent with those facts.

    Sources

  38. Claim 38
    Accurate95% confidence▶ 11:41
    “He was accused of being a Saudi spy. He denies being a Saudi spy. The Saudis deny he was a spy, but the allegation is that he was a spy for the Saudi government who was handling two of these hijackers.”

    Bayoumi was accused of being a Saudi spy, he denied it, Saudi Arabia denied it, and the accusation was that he handled or assisted two hijackers for the Saudi government.

    The transcript accurately presents these as allegations and denials, not as an established criminal finding. Bayoumi’s alleged Saudi-government ties and assistance to the two hijackers are central claims in the civil litigation, while Saudi Arabia and Bayoumi have denied wrongdoing.

    Sources

  39. Claim 39
    Misleading50% confidence▶ 12:01
    “the FBI says Omar Elbumi was acting for and receiving instructions from Saudi intelligence, GIP, which is the initials for their Saudi intelligence agency.”

    The FBI said in declassified reports that Omar al-Bayoumi was a paid cooptee of Saudi intelligence, the General Intelligence Presidency (GIP), and forwarded information through Prince Bandar.

    FBI-related records contained allegations and indications of possible Saudi intelligence ties, but the cited government review did not state as an established fact that al-Bayoumi acted for or received instructions from Saudi intelligence. The wording presents a speculative allegation as a definitive FBI conclusion.

    Omits: The congressional Joint Inquiry described reports alleging that al-Bayoumi might be a Saudi intelligence officer, but said much of the information remained speculative and had not been independently verified; it did not establish that he was acting under instructions from Saudi intelligence.

    Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Accurate and the second Misleading. Recorded as Misleading.

    Sources

  40. Claim 40
    Misleading50% confidence▶ 12:13
    “He was here under a a sham cover job. He was supposed to be a student. He was working for a Saudi shell company, you know, a Saudi aviation company.”

    Bayoumi’s student identity was presented as a cover while he was paid through a Saudi aviation-related organization.

    The underlying employment and student-status facts are substantially supported, including evidence that he may have been paid without doing regular work. But 'sham cover job' and 'shell company' go beyond what the official record established.

    Omits: The 9/11 Commission described him as a business student supported by a private contractor for the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority and said a fellow employee called him a 'ghost employee'; it did not establish that the company was a shell company or that the student status was a sham cover.

    Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Accurate and the second Misleading. Recorded as Misleading.

    Sources

    • 1The 9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 7

      SupportsBayoumi, then 42 years old, was in the United States as a business student, supported by a private contractor for the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority, where Bayoumi had worked for over 20 years.

    • 2The 9/11 Commission Report, Notes to Chapter 7

      BackgroundWhile in San Diego, Bayoumi was officially employed by Ercan, a subsidiary of a contractor for the Saudi Civil Aviation Administration, although a fellow employee described Bayoumi as a 'ghost employee,' noting that he was one of many Saudis on the payroll who was not required to work.

  41. Claim 41
    Misleading50% confidence▶ 12:25
    “One was a videotape of him hosting the hijackers at a San Diego apartment.”

    A videotape seized from Bayoumi showed him hosting a gathering attended by two 9/11 hijackers at a San Diego apartment.

    The existence of a party video connected to the apartment is supported, but the claim combines that fact with an unsupported superlative and implies that both hijackers were filmed. The Commission's account says only Mihdhar appears briefly.

    Omits: The 9/11 Commission reported that a video was made at a party in the hijackers' apartment but specifically stated that only Khalid al-Mihdhar appeared briefly; the official record does not establish that it was the first-ever film of the hijackers outside an airport.

    Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Accurate and the second Misleading. Recorded as Misleading.

    Sources

  42. Claim 42
    Unverifiable50% confidence▶ 12:32
    “he was on film, the first ever film of these hijackers outside the airport.”

    The Bayoumi party video was the first known film of the two hijackers outside an airport.

    The sources confirm that the party video existed and showed at least one of the two men, but they do not establish the exhaustive historical claim that it was the first-ever film of either hijacker outside an airport. “First ever” depends on a complete record of all footage, which is not available here.

    Sources

    • 1The 9/11 Commission Report

      BackgroundOf the two operatives, only Mihdhar appears briefly on the video shot by Bin Don. Bayoumi videotape of party (provided by the FBI).

  43. Claim 43
    Accurate50% confidence▶ 12:41
    “we have video evidence of this man, Beayumi, who our own FBI says is a Saudi spy working for Saudi intelligence.”

    The FBI identified Bayoumi as a Saudi intelligence operative or spy who assisted the hijackers.

    A declassified 2017 FBI report stated that Bayoumi was a paid cooptee of Saudi intelligence, and later reporting described the FBI’s conclusion as identifying him as a Saudi spy. The 9/11 Commission had earlier reached a different assessment, but that does not negate the claim about what the later FBI report said.

    Sources

  44. Claim 44
    Unverifiable50% confidence▶ 12:50
    “he's telling the room these people, these two individuals are on a journey. They will be traveling soon. They're on a spiritual mission. They're going to be going to Allah soon.”

    Bayoumi hosted a gathering at which the two hijackers were introduced to other attendees and described as traveling soon on a spiritual mission and going to Allah soon.

    The official 9/11 Commission account confirms the party and video but does not report this alleged statement or provide a verified translation of it. The claim therefore cannot be confirmed from the reliable records located.

    Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Accurate and the second Unverifiable. Recorded as Unverifiable.

    Sources

  45. Claim 45
    Misleading90% confidence▶ 13:17
    “Omar al-Bayoumi demonstrates fornowledge of who these two hijackers are by introducing them to the room and saying that they will be traveling soon.”

    The video and Bayoumi’s remarks demonstrate that he had foreknowledge of the hijackers’ plans.

    The video and remarks are evidence that may suggest unusual knowledge, but they do not establish foreknowledge. The FBI material cited publicly described the likelihood as 50/50, and the 9/11 Commission reached a contrary conclusion about credible evidence of knowing assistance.

    Omits: The claim omits that the FBI’s reported assessment was only that there was a “50/50 chance” Bayoumi had advance knowledge, while the 9/11 Commission said it found no credible evidence that he knowingly aided extremist groups.

    Sources

  46. Claim 46
    Accurate99% confidence▶ 13:30
    “Khalid Misar and Noah Hazmi who were two of the five hijackers who flew the plane into the Pentagon.”

    Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi were two of the five hijackers on American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon.

    The names in the transcript appear to be transcription errors for Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi. Those two men were among the five hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which struck the Pentagon.

    Sources

  47. Claim 47
    Accurate50% confidence▶ 13:47
    “they didn't meet the income criteria to get a contract to lease the apartment building, but they got a co-signer for the lease. And that was a man who also lived in that apartment building, Omar al-Bay, this alleged Saudi agent”

    The landlady said the two men did not meet the apartment’s income requirements but obtained Bayoumi as a co-signer; Bayoumi later returned to Saudi Arabia and was never indicted in the United States.

    Recent reporting based on Holly Ratchford’s account says the men failed to meet the income requirement and Bayoumi co-signed their lease. Reporting also states that Bayoumi moved back to Saudi Arabia after 9/11 and was never charged or prosecuted in the United States.

    Sources

  48. Claim 48
    Accurate98% confidence▶ 14:21
    “Omar Albayumi actually co-signed. So, he took financial responsibility for Midhar and Hazmi's apartments. He was a guarantor on their lease and he actually drove them to a bank and helped them open up a bank account and get a certified bank check for the security deposit.”

    Bayoumi co-signed the hijackers’ lease, went with them to a bank, and provided a check for the apartment deposit.

    Court records state that Bayoumi went with the two men to a bank to open an account and, because the bank would not issue a certified check that day, issued a check under his own name for the rent and deposit. The records also describe his co-signing and guarantor role.

    Sources

  49. Claim 49
    Unverifiable83% confidence▶ 14:41
    “But he's never helped out anybody else. So, he only helped out these two individuals.”

    Bayoumi had never helped anyone else in the same way.

    The available court record says Bayoumi could not recall helping anyone else in the same manner, which does not establish the universal claim that he never helped anyone else. Confirming or refuting it would require a complete record of his similar assistance to other people.

    Sources

  50. Claim 50
    Accurate82% confidence▶ 15:13
    “the United States government never asked for him to be extradited to the US from the UK? Never asked him to be extradited from its ally, Saudi Arabia.”

    The U.S. government never sought Omar al-Bayoumi’s extradition from the United Kingdom or Saudi Arabia.

    Available reporting says the FBI requested his arrest in Britain and considered bringing him to the United States, but U.S. officials concluded they lacked sufficient evidence to seek extradition. Thus the claim about not pursuing a formal extradition request is supported, though the arrest request is important context.

    The judgment concerns a formal extradition request, not the FBI’s separate request that British authorities arrest and investigate al-Bayoumi.

    Sources

  51. Claim 51
    False99% confidence▶ 15:28
    “2,977 Americans were murdered on live television.”

    The September 11 attacks killed 2,977 Americans, and all of those deaths occurred on live television.

    The number 2,977 is broadly correct for the non-hijacker victims, but the victims were international and the deaths occurred at three sites, including Flight 93 and the Pentagon, rather than all being broadcast live.

    Sources

    • 1What happened on 9/11?

      RefutesThe attacks killed 2,977 people from 90 nations: 2,753 people were killed in New York; 184 people were killed at the Pentagon; and 40 people were killed on Flight 93.

    • 2Module 1: Events of the Day

      RefutesPassengers and crew members on the fourth plane launched a counterattack, forcing the hijacker pilot—who was flying the airplane toward Washington, D.C.—to crash the plane into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, near the town of Shanksville.

  52. Claim 52
    Unverifiable50% confidence▶ 15:41
    “we have videotape evidence of Bayumi hosting the hijackers”

    A videotape showed Omar al-Bayoumi hosting the hijackers.

    Evidence exists that Bayoumi hosted a party attended by the two future hijackers and filmed the Capitol, but whether the Capitol footage constituted operational casing remains an unresolved dispute between the plaintiffs’ side and Saudi Arabia’s lawyers.

    Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Accurate and the second Unverifiable. Recorded as Unverifiable.

    Sources

  53. Claim 53
    Misleading50% confidence▶ 15:43
    “also casing the US capital”

    A videotape showed Omar al-Bayoumi casing the U.S. Capitol.

    A video of al-Bayoumi touring and describing the Capitol was reportedly seized, but calling it definitive evidence that he was casing the building overstates what the recording proves.

    Omits: The recording’s interpretation is disputed: some terrorism experts viewed it as possible reconnaissance, while Saudi-government lawyers described it as a tourist video; the tape itself does not establish hostile intent.

    Sources

  54. Claim 54
    Misleading90% confidence▶ 16:22
    “That plane was destined for the US capital Rotanda.”

    Flight 93 was destined for the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

    The plane was redirected toward Washington, D.C., and the Capitol is widely identified as the most likely target. The evidence does not establish the precise intended impact point as the Rotunda.

    Omits: Official accounts generally describe the Capitol as the most likely intended target, not establish that the aircraft was specifically aimed at the Rotunda.

    The verdict differs between the broad claim that Flight 93 was headed toward Washington or the Capitol, which is supported, and the more specific claim that its target was the Rotunda, which is not established.

    Sources

    • 1Call to Action - Flight 93 National Memorial

      SupportsRecovered evidence and responses to interrogations revealed that the terrorists' intended target was most likely the United States Capitol Building, where the nation's legislators were in session.

    • 2The Target

      SupportsThe United States Capitol Building is believed to have been the hijacker’s target for Flight 93.

  55. Claim 55
    Accurate96% confidence▶ 16:36
    “The Saudis, as I say, deny any involvement in 911.”

    Saudi Arabia denies involvement in the September 11 plot.

    Saudi officials and the Saudi government have repeatedly denied involvement in the September 11 plot.

    Sources

  56. Claim 56
    Unverifiable50% confidence▶ 17:28
    “Clearly Omar Albumi had fornowledge of what these two here were doing in America.”

    Omar al-Bayoumi had foreknowledge of what Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar were doing in the United States.

    There is evidence of al-Bayoumi’s assistance and suspicious connections, but the 9/11 Commission and FBI did not establish as a confirmed fact that he knew the hijackers’ operational plans in advance.

    Sources

    • 1Final 9/11 Review Commission Report, unclassified

      RefutesThe 9/11 Commission learned that Abdullah had reportedly bragged to fellow inmates that he had known in advance of al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar’s plans to conduct a terrorist attack. ... There are various accounts of the alleged bragging and neither the FBI nor the 9/11 Commission was able to confirm the veracity of this new information.

    • 2The 9/11 Commission Report

      BackgroundIn a post-9/11 interview with law enforcement, Abdullah claimed that Bayoumi specifically asked him “to be the individual to acclimate the hijackers to the United States, particularly San Diego, California.”

  57. Claim 57
    Misleading50% confidence▶ 21:20
    “He's also the guy who said he would release the Epstein files if we're talking about files and hasn't been fully released there.”

    Donald Trump said he would release the Epstein files, but they had not been fully released at the time of the statement.

    Trump did say, in the televised portion of a June 2024 Fox interview, that he would declassify the Epstein files. However, the full interview included hesitation and qualifications, while the Justice Department later reported publishing more than 3.5 million responsive pages, so the unqualified framing that the files simply had not been released is incomplete.

    Omits: The statement omits that Trump's complete June 2024 answer was qualified rather than an unequivocal promise, and that the Justice Department subsequently published millions of responsive pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

    Checked twice, independently: the first pass returned Accurate and the second Misleading. Recorded as Misleading.

    Sources

  58. Claim 58
    Accurate98% confidence▶ 21:30
    “I love the Saudis. They buy apartments in my buildings.”

    Donald Trump said that he loved the Saudis and that they bought apartments in his buildings.

    Trump made substantially this statement during his 2015 presidential campaign, and reporting documents Saudi purchases of units in Trump properties.

    Sources

  59. Claim 59
    Misleading90% confidence▶ 22:01
    “And 25 years ago, Saudi Arabia was doing a lot of really nasty things. They were funding uh these radical ideas. They were exporting terrorism all all throughout the world.”

    Saudi Arabia was funding radical ideas and exporting terrorism worldwide about 25 years earlier.

    There is documented evidence that Saudi Arabia was an important environment and source for private or charitable support connected to extremist networks. But phrasing this as Saudi Arabia itself funding radical ideas and exporting terrorism worldwide wrongly suggests an established official state policy, which the 9/11 Commission specifically said it had not established.

    Omits: The claim omits the crucial distinction between Saudi-based private donors or charities and the Saudi government: the 9/11 Commission found no evidence that the Saudi government or senior Saudi officials funded al-Qaeda, while noting that Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for al-Qaeda fundraising and that some charities may have diverted funds.

    Sources

    • 1The 9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 5

      BackgroundSaudi Arabia has long been considered the primary source of al Qaeda funding, but we have found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded the organization.

    • 2The 9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 5

      SupportsStill, al Qaeda found fertile fund-raising ground in Saudi Arabia, where extreme religious views are common and charitable giving was both essential to the culture and subject to very limited oversight.

  60. Claim 60
    Contested50% confidence▶ 23:31
    “they're not talking about the videotape evidence we have of Saudi intelligence asset Omar Alumi.”

    Omar al-Bayoumi was a Saudi intelligence asset and there is videotape evidence involving him.

    The existence of a video associated with al-Bayoumi is well documented, but his characterization as a Saudi intelligence asset has conflicting official assessments. Later-released FBI material and civil-litigation evidence support the characterization, while the 9/11 Commission's stated conclusion rejected it.

    Concluded by ProPublica's recent investigation and declassified FBI material characterize Omar al-Bayoumi as a Saudi intelligence asset or cooptee and discuss the video evidence.Rejected or unresolved by The 9/11 Commission and an FBI review cited in its report concluded that al-Bayoumi was an unlikely candidate for clandestine Islamist involvement and found no evidence that his assistance to the hijackers was witting.

    Sources

  61. Claim 61
    False50% confidence▶ 23:42
    “Nobody's talking about the Saudi Arabian role.”

    Nobody was talking about Saudi Arabia's role in the 9/11 matter.

    The statement is false as a universal claim: multiple major outlets and court proceedings were publicly discussing alleged Saudi connections to the 9/11 plot and the related litigation.

    The intensifier "Nobody's" was judged literally. Even one substantial contemporaneous report is enough to refute that universal claim.

    Sources

  62. Claim 62
    Accurate99% confidence▶ 24:13
    “so many other innocent Americans who were killed on 911.”

    Many innocent Americans were killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

    The U.S. Department of Justice states that terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 innocent Americans on September 11, 2001, supporting the claim that many innocent Americans were killed in the attacks.

    Sources