Key facts
- Holly Ratchford, former property manager of Parkwood Apartments, has spoken publicly about Omar al-Bayoumi.
- Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national, is accused of facilitating the 9/11 attacks by supporting hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar.
- Ratchford described Bayoumi as friendly and helpful, unaware of his alleged role as a Saudi intelligence operative.
- A federal judge found a reasonable inference that Bayoumi coordinated with the Saudi government in assisting the hijackers.
- Saudi Arabia and Bayoumi deny all allegations and are appealing the judge's ruling.
Holly Ratchford, who managed the Parkwood Apartments complex in San Diego, has spoken publicly for the first time about Omar al-Bayoumi, a former tenant accused of facilitating the 9/11 attacks. Ratchford described Bayoumi, who moved in with his family in 1999, as a friendly and bubbly neighbor, unaware of his alleged role as a Saudi intelligence operative.
Bayoumi is at the center of a $1 trillion lawsuit filed by victims' families and survivors against Saudi Arabia. The lawsuit alleges that Bayoumi provided crucial support to the first two hijackers to arrive in the U.S., Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, who also lived at the complex. Ratchford recalled Bayoumi introducing her to the two men and later helping them secure an apartment and open a bank account, despite them not meeting the income criteria.
Declassified FBI documents and court filings suggest Bayoumi was an operative of the Saudi intelligence service, spending significant time organizing religious activities and asking inquiring questions. A federal judge previously found a reasonable inference that Bayoumi and a Saudi diplomat coordinated with the Saudi government in providing assistance to the hijackers. Saudi Arabia, along with Bayoumi, has consistently denied these allegations and is appealing the judge's ruling.