FBI flew Saudis out post 9/11

Klast Brell · Post by **Klast Brell** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 8:59 am

One of the big attacks against Michael Moore was reguarding his claim that Prominent Saudis were allowed to fly out of the US
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/polit ... [quote]The F.B.I. gave personal airport escorts to two prominent Saudi families who fled the United States, and several other Saudis were allowed to leave the country without first being interviewed, the documents show.

The Saudi families, in Los Angeles and Orlando, requested the F.B.I. escorts because they said they were concerned for their safety in the wake of the attacks, and the F.B.I. - which was then beginning the biggest criminal investigation in its history - arranged to have agents escort them to their local airports, the documents show.

But F.B.I. officials reacted angrily, both internally and publicly, to the suggestion that any Saudis had received preferential treatment in leaving the country.
[/quote]
God bless the FOIA

Aabe · Post by **Aabe** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:35 am

Never saw M&M's movie. (I always imagine him as a brown M&M, that dresses and smells funny). So I am in the dark on this one.

What was the big deal about Saudi big wigs being escorted to an airport to leave? Were they considered part of the plot? Associated with Ossama? I hear Osmama doesn't like the Saudi government or high profile people there. (few people I am aware of like the Saudi governement or its promonent people for that matter)

I would imagine any people of prominience are afforded protection upon requrest, especially if terroism is suspected in country, since terrorism usualy targets high profile people/things.

If they were involved in the crashes, they would have to have been very stupid terroriests to be in country when the attack happened.

But tell what the big plot M&M ascribed to this event, if you would please.

Post by **Relbeek Einre** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:51 am

One was left to ascribe motive themselves, but the one Moore strongly implied was that the Bushes, who'd been in bed with the bin Ladens for decades, pulled strings to get the family of bin Laden out of the country without hassle, even though standard procedure would have been to at least question family members of the prime suspect before letting them go.

The planes shuffling the Saudis around were some of the only planes allowed to fly in the wake of 9/11, and authorization to do so must have come from very high up.

Aabe · Post by **Aabe** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 10:05 am

So, Bin Ladins family members were allowed to leave? Or just "some Saudis"?

As I understand it, wasn't he kind of a black sheep of his own family, so to speak?

I find the implication that if Bush suspected the BIn Ladin family involvment they would allow them to leave REALLY questionable. Usually if you get a knife in the back from a friend, they instantly get lower treatment than a stranger with a knife in your back. Bush kind of showed that side by his treatment of countrys that abandoned him when he tried to forge a coalition.

Maybe if he was friends with Bin Ladins family, but they were embarassed by the black sheep son and he was convinced they had nothing to do with it, then he might have pulled some strings to protect them from a hysterical backlash in the USA. That might have some velievability. But if he seriously thought they had anything to do with the bombings, I would have to be wearing some serious tin foil to buy that one.

Post by **Relbeek Einre** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 10:21 am

Yes, the family of bin Laden, Aabe.

And he's officially a black sheep of his own family, yet there's evidence he's not so much of an outcast as the official story goes.

You can find it suspect, but the facts are all there. Osama bin Laden was the prime suspect within hours of the attack, yet in the days following 9/11, his family was allowed to depart without detention or questioning by the FBI.

Kulaf · Post by **Kulaf** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:31 am

Didn't we discuss this months ago.....and did I not at that time post a link to the request from the Saudi government asking for protection of those individuals and expressing their desire that they be takin into protective custody and returned to their country of origin? I am pretty sure I did at the same time I totally debunked MMs' allegations regarding Bush's aquaintance with a now deceased Bin Lauden relative. If the board has enough history I will try to find it.

Post by **Relbeek Einre** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:46 am

The Search feature got reset a while back, Kulaf. But I somehow doubt what you say.

Post by **Relbeek Einre** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:46 am

Er, I do not doubt the Saudi government requested intervention (and so what if they did), just the rest.

Kulaf · Post by **Kulaf** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 12:17 pm

The Saudi that MM tried to link to Bush was in fact his friend and he was in fact a member of the Bin Laden family. What MM failed to then mention when making the link is that the man died in a plane crash about 20 years ago. That was the direct link Bush had to the Bin Laden family....and the fact that MM apparently left out of his movie. I can try to pull it again if you like. I just cannot for the life of me remember the name of the Bin Laden friend. If someone has access to it just post it and I will do the leg work again.

Post by **Relbeek Einre** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 12:21 pm

Salem bin Laden.

And he's not the only connection with the Bush family.

Embar Angylwrath · Post by **Embar Angylwrath** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 12:24 pm

Relbeek Einre wrote:Yes, the family of bin Laden, Aabe.

And he's officially a black sheep of his own family, yet there's evidence he's not so much of an outcast as the official story goes.

You can find it suspect, but the facts are all there. Osama bin Laden was the prime suspect within hours of the attack, yet in the days following 9/11, his family was allowed to depart without detention or questioning by the FBI.

That statement is inaacurate Beek. Read the 9/11 Commission's report. If I recall, the FBI cleared all of the people who left the country, checking running the naems through their databases, and interviewing at least 30 of them.

Post by **Relbeek Einre** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 12:28 pm

30 of the departees, I believe. However, the 9/11 commission report doesn't specify who was interviewed, and we have FBI testimony that says many if not all of OBL's US-residing family left unquestioned.

Frankly, if a single member of OBL's family was allowed to leave the country in the days following 9/11 without questioning by the FBI, there was a severe breach of the process.

Kulaf · Post by **Kulaf** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 1:01 pm

http://prisonplanet.com/bin_laden_famil ... _bush.html

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?011112fa_FACT3

http://www.newhumanist.com/wsj.html

Kulaf · Post by **Kulaf** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 1:03 pm

I was wrong on one point, Bush as not a friend of Salem. It's been a while since I read the reports. He was however a friend of Bath who was a friend of Salem so I guess you would say there was an indirect link between Bush and Salem. But the relationship ended upon the death of Salem.

Kulaf · Post by **Kulaf** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 1:14 pm

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/flight.htm

Post by **Ddrak** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 1:25 pm

The Snopes article is very good actually, and tends to confirm the initial post. From the summary:

Clearly bin Laden family members were allowed to leave the U.S. shortly after the September 11 attacks, and this was effected with the approval and assistance of the American government.

Personally, I remember hearing this in the news soon after 9/11 and thinking it was a good idea. Last I recalled, OBL wasn't exactly the darling child of the BL family in general and a country of angry people aren't going to always take that into consideration before attempting some misguided vigilanteism.

Dd

Kulaf · Post by **Kulaf** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 1:28 pm

I don't think anyone is disputing the fact that they were allowed to fly out.....just the motives for it. MM would like to imply that they were allowed to fly out because of ties to Bush.....when it is far more likely they were flown out for the reasons presented, which is a request by the Saudi government to protect its citizens from possible reprisal.

Embar Angylwrath · Post by **Embar Angylwrath** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 1:33 pm

From the 9/11 Commission's report:

Nobody of interest to the FBI with regard to the 9/11 investigation was allowed to leave the country.

The person who cleared the flights wasn't Bush. It was Richard Clarke, a holdover from the Clinton administration.

Post by **Relbeek Einre** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 2:20 pm

That "explanation" doesn't pass the smell test since only Saudi nobility were given such special dispensation - Saudis with big oil ties.

Kulaf · Post by **Kulaf** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 2:27 pm

I don't ascribe any noble intentions to the Saudi request. It was a request from a soverign nation with whom we have good diplomatic ties to safeguard and return their citizens.