Omar al-Bayoumi

Omar al-Bayoumi (Arabic: عمر البيومي, romanized: ʿUmar al-Bayyūmī) is a Saudi national with alleged links to two of the 9/11 hijackers in the United States, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar. There are conflicting views of al-Bayoumi's role.

The 9/11 Commission attributes al-Bayoumi meeting the hijackers to a chance encounter at a Culver City, Los Angeles restaurant, where al-Bayoumi allegedly heard the hijackers speak Gulf-Arabic and struck up a conversation. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, there is no evidence al-Bayoumi made contributions (monetary or otherwise) beyond helping them find an apartment, help fill out the lease, and similar. There are witness descriptions of the group's restaurant visit, and later a house party at al-Hazmi's and al-Mihdhar's place, organized by al-Bayoumi. The Commission report concludes by "we have seen no credible evidence that [al-Bayoumi] believed in violent extremism or knowingly aided extremist groups.".

In 2021, a 28-page FBI report was released that indicates al-Bayoumi could have been a Saudi intelligence asset. The so-called "Encore report" was created in 2016, as part of "Operation Encore", a renewed FBI investigation into potential ties of Saudi Arabia to the 9/11 hijackers. The report describes several indicators of al-Bayoumi's and Saudi Arabia's role. Phone records show al-Bayoumi had frequent contact with Fahad al-Thumairy, a local imam who also worked at the Saudi Arabia Los Angeles consulate. He also repeatedly contacted people at the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Riyadh, and people in the Saudi intelligence community in Riyadh. A single confidential human source (CHS) told the FBI that it was common knowledge in the local Saudi community that he was "in constant contact with Saudi officials" and "everyone knew" he was some sort of government asset or intelligence monitor.

Another FBI report, declassified in March 2022, states that "there is a 50/50 chance [al-Bayoumi] had advanced knowledge the 9/11 attacks were to occur."

According to previously-classified memoranda released by the National Archives in May 2016, by 6 June 2003, the FBI suspected al-Bayoumi and "believes it is possible that he was an agent of the Saudi Government and that he may have been reporting on the local [Saudi] community to the Saudi Government officials. In addition, during its investigation, the FBI discovered that al-Bayoumi has ties to terrorist elements as well."

It is currently not known to what extent al-Bayoumi could have contributed to the hijackers, knowingly or unknowingly, besides what is documented in the 9/11 Commission Report.

The director of the 9/11 Commission, responded to the 2021 and 2022 FBI documents, said that "they amount to “an agglomeration of preliminary, unvetted reports.” The 9/11 Commission concluded in 2004 “found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded [al-Qaida].”

Saudi Arabia claims that al-Bayoumi is not its agent.

Al-Bayoumi was questioned after 9/11. By 2004 he had moved to Saudi Arabia.