The households of a few of the victims killed in the course of the assaults of September 11, 2001 who labored for the Bond Buying and selling Firm of Howard Lutnick, now a commerce secretary, exhorts him to assist extradite a Saudi nationwide probably concerned within the assaults whereas he’s making ready to interact in financial talks with the Kingdom.
In a letter to Mr. Lunick, obtained by the New York Occasions, households representing the lots of of staff of the corporate, Cantor Fitzgerald, who died within the not too long ago non-sealed assault exhibiting that Omar Al-Bayoumi, a Saudi intelligence agent, had hyperlinks with the attackers.
Mr. Lunick is himself a mum or dad of a sufferer of the terrorist assault; His brother, who additionally labored for Cantor Fitzgerald, died. And Cantor, whose places of work lasted the a hundred and first to the a hundred and fifth flooring of the Northern Tower of the World Commerce Middle, misplaced extra staff than every other firm affected by assaults.
The letter comes as Mr. Lunick plans to accompany President Trump in Saudi Arabia this week as a part of a week-long journey to the Center East. Households have urged Mr. Lunick to claim that Mr. Al-Bayoumi is delivered to justice in any dialogue on the strengthening of america’s financial partnership with the Kingdom. Kin have written that his appointment “offers us renewed hope” to find out the complete fact concerning the assaults and which was accountable.
“You might be in a novel place to emphasise that such a partnership should begin with accountability and justice, guaranteeing that Omar al-Bayoumi is given to america to deal with justice in america court docket,” reads the letter, which had greater than 150 signatories.
“This query transcends politics; this can be a query of precept,” continued the letter. “It’s a query of honoring the life that we now have misplaced and of understanding if the nation which despatched them to their tragic demise won’t ever be held accountable.”
Managers of the Commerce Division refused to remark. An individual who is aware of the considered Mr. Lutnick mentioned that he had seen the letter and deeply appreciated the ideas of members of the family.
Mr. Lutnick, who was managing director of the corporate on the time of the assault, misplaced 658 staff, together with his greatest pal. In an article on social networks final 12 months, he told how he dropped off his son for his first kindergarten day When his telephone continued to ring and disconnect whereas his brother, Gary, tried to name to say goodbye.
Cantor Fitzgerald continued to assist households affected by assaults, which supplies them $ 180 million. He additionally paid for his or her well being take care of 10 years and created a rescue fund.
“I promised to maintain all households,” he wrote. “They’ve turn into a part of my household.”
There was a dissent throughout the firm on the way in which through which an American Airways colony allocation above the aircraft which struck the World Commerce Middle North Tower, making it collapse. Mr. Lutnick instructed the leaders of the corporate in 2014 that cash was to be broadly spent among the many companions of the corporate, versus the family members of individuals killed.
For years, data on the potential participation of Mr. Al-Bayoumi within the September 11 assaults was obscured.
Final summer season, a mine of proof seized by the British authorities of the house of Mr. al-Bayoumi connect it to the pirates of the air of September 11 qaïda was made public for the first time.
Greater than every week after the assaults, British cops made a descent into the home of Mr. Al-Bayoumi, who had met two of the pirates of the September 11 in Los Angeles shortly after their arrival at the start of 2000. Among the many components that the police seized have been a pad on which Mr. Al-Bayoumi had sketched a aircraft in blue ink, above which he had written an equation arithmetic.
British authorities have given the tools to the FBI for its investigation into assaults. However we do not know what occurred to the drawing after that. It was not shared with the Fee of September 11, a bipartite group of legislators and specialists accountable for the drafting of the ultimate account of the assaults. In its 2004 report, the Fee described Mr. Al-Bayoumi as an “inconceivable candidate for clandestine participation with Islamic extremists”.
Not one of the new proof of Mr. Al-Bayoumi’s residence has confirmed to conclude that the Saudi authorities has enabled the assaults, however this provides to a rising circumstantial case.
Households cited a report launched on “60 minutes ”last month, revealing that Mr. Al-Bayoumi filmed the Capitol earlier than the assaults.
Within the letter, households burdened that such data had been within the fingers of the FBIs of weeks after the assault, however was retained to the American public and the Fee of September 11 for years.
“This betrayal is astounding,” mentioned the letter. “However now we now have the chance for a brand new begin.”
