t5 b69 jetlease fdr- entire contents- fbi docs and withdrawal notice 660

8/14/2019 T5 B69 Jetlease Fdr- Entire Contents- FBI Docs and Withdrawal Notice 660

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U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

fi\AM4usashington, D. C. 20535-0001June 9,2004

Daniel M arcus, General CounselNational Com mission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United StatesSuite 3002100KS t r ee t ,N . W .Washington, D.C. 20036RE: Com mission's Request fo r DocumentsDear Mr. Marcus:

In response to the Comm issions R equest for Docum ents, please find thefollowing:Documents responsive to Document Request 35-13 -1 Packet & 1 CD-ROM;Docum ents responsive to Docum ent Request 37-5 - 4 Packets;Docum ents responsive to Docum ent Request 40-1 - 6 CD-ROMS;Docum ents responsive to Docu ment Request 47-1 & 2;Documents responsive to Document Request 47-3;Docum ents in response to M iscellaneous R equest #41[Documents In Response to Request from Commission Staffer Dieter Snell-Documents on Fuad Bazarah] - 2ND Supplemental Packet; Documents in response to Miscellaneous Request #42[Documents In Response to Request from Commission Staffer Thomas E ldridge-Information on "Bin Laden "Family Flights That Departed th e United States inSeptember 2001 -1Supplemental Packet; Docum ents in response to Miscellaneous Request #52[Documents In Response to Request from C omm ission-Digitized Photo ofl Subject -Supplemental CD-ROM.This is part of the FBI's rolling produ ction and thus may be supplemented in thefuture. Should yo u have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 202-324-9613.

Sincerely,

Robert S. Sinton /Assistant General Counsel


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DOCUMENTS REQUESTED BYCOMMISSION STAFFERTHOMAS ELDRIDGE

NFORM ATION ON "BINLADEN" FAMILYGHTS THAT DEPARTED THE UNITED

STATES IN SEPTEMBER 2001RESPONSIVE

toMISCELLANEOUS REQUEST #42

from COMMISSION[SUPPLEMENTAL PACKET #1]

COMMISSION COPY


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L aw Enforcement Privacy

WyV-Ql-31-2003)FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Precedence: ROUTINETo: Director.1 s Office

Date: 05/28/2004ATTN: SSA'-j_

From: Louisville''-..LexingtonXRACdntact: SAApproved By:Drafted Ily:Case ID #: \62F-HQ-C1428 711\)Title: NATIONAL COMMISSION ON\TERRORISM,91 1 TASK FORCE; \

: Synopsis: No airplane traffic at Blue Grass A'i.rport, Lexington,\Kentucky during ho-fly period following 09/11/20Q.1 crisis.\\Details: On 05/27/2004 Blue Grass Airport (Lexingtdn, Kentucky)\JAir Traffic Ma.nagef\f Ortman was recontacted by SA 1 j\ concerning '-allegations that fixed wing aircraft hadtaken off or landed a,t Blue Grass Airport during the FAA NO-FLYperiod directly following the attacks of 09/11 /'2.00 1 . Ortmanreiterated information'-.previously provided to SA|_ _ ] that nofixed wing aircraft had\landed or taken off during the NO-FLYperiod mandated by the FAA in the days foll owing 09/11/2001. Theortly air traffic at the a'-irport involved one or two flights bythe University of Kentucky, "Lifeline" helicopters, dulyauthorized for the purpose\pf topping off fuel tanks inpreparation for emergency flights. Ortman further advis ed thatlike every other airport in the United States, Blue Grass Airportwas\d to civilian traffic: during the referenced period.

\n 05/28/2004 D. Scott Lanter, Chief of Public Safety,B l u e ' - , Grass Airport was contacted, concerning the above notedallegations. Chief Lanter reaffirmed information providedpreviously, that no fixed wing traffic landed or took off fromBlue 'Grass Airport while FAA NO-FLY directives were in place.by SA On 05/28/2004 retired SSA \ _concerning the above issue. SSA was contactedrecalledhaving ext ens iv e contacts with FBIHQ concerning the Saudi Princein Lexington, Kentucky for the annual Keeneland Horse Sales.

Misc. Req.#42 Supp. 000004765


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j.1 Law Enforcement Privacy

'XTo: Director's Office From: Louisville'-.. 'Re: 62F-HQ-C1428711, 05/28/2004

S-Qon\afterxthe FAA had suspended all civilian air traffic in theUnited\t a e'B... representat ives from the Saudi Prince contactedthe\SSA'| ['-concerning how they could arrange to fly the..Prince's son frortK.Florida, where he attended college to'Lexington, Kentucky'",--... then how he could depart the United Statesas soon\as possible. '" - - T h ey were concerned about th eir security.They hadXbeen transported to the U.S. via private Gulfstream IV,ta\Le number HZAFW, which '"had then left the U.S. with plans toret.urn afte'r the horse sale s' . - -

SSA'I I elieved the'-.FAA first opened air traffic tofexit ''the U.S. 'only, but would not a'l-iow air traffic into the U.S.This prevented the Saudi Gulfstream from flying to Lexington,Kentucky to pick up the Saudi group. Arrangements were made bythe Sau'dis to charter a Boeing 727 from Florida to fly toLexington, Kentucky and take them to Gander,'"-Newfoundland, thenon V t o Europe and Saudi Arabia. Contacts with an SSA at FBIHQ(whipse n a i r i e was not recalled) coordinated this departure to occuras sbon as\e FAA had authorized air traffic. SSA'-| Ifurther noted that during the hectic days following 09/11/2001,he sppke with several supervisors at FBIHQ concerning theseissues, but did not keep specific records.

SSA 1 I also recalled he was advised by FBIHQ tocoordinate with U.S. Customs at Blue Grass Airport and insurethat only passengers who were not on the Terrorist Watch List; were allowed to board the airplane. On 09/16/2001 the chartered\ 7 w a s Jflown to Lexin gton , Kentucky. A walk through search w as^conducted, of the Saudi plane by U.S. Customs, assisted by SA

I \o insure only identified flight crew werepresent. '-Passports were then checked for all Saudi nationals whoboarded the airplane to insure none were listed on the WatchList. The 'plane then was cleared for departure by the Blue Grasstower and the FAA. This departure occurred at least a day afterFAA authorization for commercial flight was announced in themedia. Similar procedures had been used in clearing thedeparting flights carrying citizens of the U.A.E. on 09/15/2001.SSA | |further advised it was his nderstandingthat the FBI had no reason or jurisdiction to prevent either ofthe foreign groups from departing the U.S. The only reason forFBI presence at the airport was to assist the U.S. Customs inassuring no one from the Terrorist Watch List attempted toutilize these planes for escape from the U.S.

Misc. Req. #42 Supp. 000004766


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To: Director's Of nee From: LouisvilleRe: 62F-HQ-C1428711, 05/28/2004

LEAD(s) :Set Lead 1: (Info)

D I R E C T O R ' S OFFICEA T Q EEO A S P U , DCRead and clear.

Misc. Req. #42 Supp. 000004767


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ALL REPORTS A ND CORRESPONDENCEPERTAINING TO THE DEPARTURE OF SAUDIARABIAN NATIONALS FROM THE UNITED

STATES ON SEPTEMBER 13 ANDSEPTEMBER 14, 2001.

FINAL D RAFT of RESPONSE to OCTOBER2003 VANITY FAIR ARTICLE(RE: BINLADEN FAMILY DEPARTURES

AFTER 09/11/2001)RESPONSIVE

toREQUEST#14-4"SECRET MATERIAL ENCLOSED"

"THIS P A C K E T C O N T A I N S S E N S I T IV E C R IM I N A LA N D / O R IN TE LLIG E N C E I N F O R M A TIO N PE R TA IN IN G

T O T E R R O R I S M R E L A T E D I N V E S T IG A T IO N S "

COM MISSION COPY

NCTA000088227


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Chartered f l i g h t f o r S a u d i A r a b i a n g r o u p o u t o f L e x i n g t o n . K e n t u c k y O n S u nd ay , S e p t e m b e r 16. 2001, at 4:30 p . m . , a char te red l u xu r y Boe ing 72 7 aircraf tlanded at the airpor t in L e x i n g t o n , Ken t uc ky . T he f l ight w as char te red throug h Je tleaseU S A , 3700 A irpor t Road . S ui t e 204, Boca Raton , Flor ida 33431, t e l e p h o n e n u m b e r 561-362-8282.

. A f t e r bo ardin g i ts passengers , th e chartered f l ight depar ted th e United S ta tes dur ing th ee ve n ing h o u r s of S u nd ay , Septemb er 16, 2001.

The passengers i n c l uded the f o l l o w i n g fourteen (14) ind iv iduals , none of w h i c h we rejuv en i l e s :H . R . H . P r i n c e A h m e d Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz

H . R. H . S u l t an Bin Fahad Bin S a lman A bd u laz i zAhmad O.H.A l-Bie b iH as h im A b d e l m a g i d Bashi rAli Ben Moliamed A ou niJesus CaldaJack Rusbridge

Salah A l - H a m m a d i Ehab Abua g la Salirn Moliamed

Ahme d A .M. Al -Haz miTalal M.M. Al-MejradMohamed Osman Ahme d El-MarazkiAboulsalam A.M.Al-HaddadFaiiad A.A.A l Zeid

The p l a n e was scheduled to fly to Goose Bay, Labrador for r e fue l ing prior to cont inu ingon to London , Eng land , and then to Saudi Arabia .

Searches/investigative steps:Pr ior to depar ture , FBI Lo uisvi l le agents toge ther with an off icer f rom U SC u s t o m s checked the crew from Florida and inspected the aircraft. Duringboarding , each passenger was ident i f ied by passport by a US Customs officer.Only th e 14 passen gers listed above bo arded the chartered 727.

Note:Prior to September 11, 2001, a group of Saudi Arabian nationals traveled toLe xing ton, KY . to attend the Keene land horse auctions. Follow ing the terrorista t tacks , m emb ers of th is group made several unsuccessfu l attempts to gainauthor iza t ion for the usual Saudi government a irp lane to ente r the Un ited States.A s a result, th e group m ade arrangements for a charte red lux ury Boeing 727 fromFlor ida to fly to L e x i n g t o n . K Y.

9/11 Personal Privacy

REQ 14-4 O O O Q Q O O l lN CT A 00008 8 23 9


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9/11 Personal Privacy

Other Agencies i nvo l ved :U S Customs, Lex i ng ton , K Y Pol ice Depar tmen t

REQ 14-4 000000012N CT A 0 0 0 0 8 8 2 4 0


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WITHDRAWAL NOTICE

RG: 148 Exposition, A nniversary, and Memorial CommissionsSERIES: 9/11 Commission Team 5, FRC Box 31

N ND PROJECT NUM BER: 51095 FOIA CASE NUM BER: 30383WITHDRAWAL DATE: 11/19/2008

BOX: 00009 FOLDER: 0038 TAB: 3 DOC ID: 31206264COPIES: 1 PAGES:

RESTRICTED|_|The item identified below has been w ithdrawn from this file:

FOLDER TITLE: Jetlease USA Charter-Lexington 9/16/01DOCUMENT DATE: DOCU MEN T TYPE: MemorandumFROM:TO:SUBJECT: "Docum ents relating to all flight m anifests for the following aricraft that departed the |US in 9/2001 w ith Saudi nationals: Responsive to Requests #30-1 a thru f [Packet#l]"-re Lexington Airport

This document has been withdraw n for the following reason(s):9/11 Classified Information

WITHDRAWAL NOTICE


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f tfrf t.y I y I is\

ENTS RELATINGto& N I F E S T S F O R T H EC R A F T T H A TS T A T E S I NffimOl WITH SA U D I

WHICH" '

.KENTUCKY-SEPTEMBER 16. 200

VESTS #30-1 b[{PACKET #1]

- f " COMMISSION COPY


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9/11 Law Enforcement Privacy

265D\ - 2 3 5,0 -LS.JCM: cm " " - - , . . " " " - . , . .Lead Control Number LS1-9.71

The following investigation: -was conducted bySupervisory Senior Resident Agent ..(SSRA) I 1 andSpecial Agent (SA) | |' concerning thedepartureof a Saudi Arabian group in Lexington, -Kentucky, for theKeeneland horse auction. " " - - .^ ____ Beginning on September 14, 2001, SSRA'I I SAI ~| and the Lexington Resident Agency became aware that agroup of Saudi Arabian nationals had come to Lexington,Kentucky, for purposes of attending the Keeneland horseauctions . In light of the September 1, 2001 terrorist events,this group desperately wanted to depart the United- States forSaudi Arabia. After repeated unsucces s ful attempts to obtainauthorization for the usual Saudi Arabian government airplane(Gulfstream 4) to enter the United States, the group madearrangements for a chartered luxury Boeing 727 from Florida tofly to Lexington, Kentucky. After several delays this planearrived in Lexington, Kentucky, at 4:30 p. m. on September 16,2001.

The Saudi Arabian gro-up was headed by H.R.H. PrinceAhmed Bin Dalman Bin Abdulaziz. It also included his son,H.R.H. Prince Sultan Bin Fahad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, whohad arrived from Florida with three companions on the eveningofSeptember 13, 2001. The following list was provided by groupcoordinator Amad O.H. Al-Biebi of those which would bedeparting on the chartered flight:

H.R.H. Prince Ahmed Bin Salman Bin AbdulazizAhmad O.H. Al-BiebiHashim Abdelmagid BashirAli Ben Mohamed AouniJesus CaldaJack Rus bridgeSalah Al-HammadiEhab Abuagla Salim MohamedAhmed A. M. Al-HazmiTalal M.M. Al-MejradAnthony John Stafford (he departed earlier)Mohamed Osman Ahmed El-Marazki

REQ. 30-lb 000000001


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il Law Enforcement Privacy

Aboulsalam A. M. Al-Haddad.Fahad A.A. Al ZeidH:R.. . Sultan Bin Fahad Bin Salman Abdulaziz

2 6'5.D-NY\8'Q 3,50 -L5, ' " - - - . . .2 \ ' " - - - . . . ' " " - - - . . . . .

Phptoeppies of,all passports were'-obtained. Whenthe plane arrived, the crew was checked and it'was inspected.by SSRA'1 I SA| |and U.S. Customs officer"! II I for any undeclared passengers, prior to anyoneboarding. During'boarding, each passenger was identified bypassport by officer'] ~|/ with SA I I observing. Onlythe fourteen individuals noted above (not including Staffordwho had taken an earlier flight) boarded the chartered 727.The plane was scheduled to fly to Goose Bay, Labrador forrefueling prior to continuing on to London, England, and thento Saudi Arabia.

The chartered plane was obtained from Jetlease USA,3700 Airport Road, Suite 204, Boca Raton, Florida 33431,telephone number 561-362-8282.

Lexington Police officers hired as private securityfor the Saudi group advised four young men had flown up fromFlorida to be transported with Prince Abdulaziz to SaudiArabia. One of the four was the Prince's son, Sultan BinFahad Bi n Salman Bin Abdulaziz. Accompanying him were threeyoung men including Fahad A.A. Al-Zied, Talal M.M. Al-Mejrad,and Ahmed A. M. Al-Hazmi. The Prince's son has a diplomaticpassport. His passport 1-94 indicated he had entered the U.S.on August 25, 2001. Lexington Police Detective Chris Whiteadvised the Prince and one of his companions were attendingthe American Language Academy, University of Tampa. The othertwo were either staff or companions of the Prince. Al-Zeidand Al-Mejrad (age 18) entered the U.S. on August 27, 2001.

When questioned, group coordinator Al-Biebi advisedAl-Hazmi's full name is Ahmad Abdulrahman Mohamed Al-Hazmi.His name is similar, but not identical to Security DirectiveList #s 016 and 017. Al-Hazmi entered the U.S. on July 25,2 0 0 1 . In addition, his passport indicated he had entered theU . S . on January 23, 2001, at New York.

Attached are photocopies of all passports of thistraveling Saudi group.

REQ. 30-lb 000000002