The Saudi national who helped 9/11 hijackers in San Diego

Ratchford managed the Parkwood Apartments in the late 1990s, where Bayoumi moved in 1999. Within months, he brought Hazmi and Mihdhar to her office to secure housing. She recalls sharing tea and cookies with the men, noting that Bayoumi even covered their rent when they fell behind on payments. The true nature of these tenants only emerged 16 months after they moved out, when a journalist revealed their role in the 2001 terror attacks. FBI investigators subsequently seized lease documents that linked Bayoumi to a network providing the hijackers with driver's licenses, flight school applications, and cash.

While Bayoumi claimed his interaction with the men was incidental, Ratchford insists his involvement was active and sustained. Retired FBI investigator Richard Lambert described Bayoumi as the center of a support operation, noting that his income from companies linked to the Saudi Defence Ministry surged while the hijackers were in San Diego. Despite allegations involving anti-American writings and a video he filmed of the US Capitol, Bayoumi was never prosecuted. He was briefly detained in the UK after 9/11 but returned to Saudi Arabia after the US Department of Justice declined to seek extradition.

In August 2025, US District Judge George B. Daniels challenged the narrative that Bayoumi acted as a mere acquaintance, suggesting his assistance likely followed instructions from the Saudi government. Saudi authorities continue to deny any official role, maintaining the footage of the Capitol was purely tourist material. The matter is now pending before the US Court of Appeals, with oral arguments scheduled for October.