Saleh Ibn Abdul Rahman Hussayen
Encyclopedia
Saleh Ibn Abdul Rahman Hussayen (صالح ابن عبدالرحمن حسین) is a prominent Saudi
government official who fell under suspicion following the Sept 11th attacks
when it was discovered that three of the hijackers, Hani Hanjour
, Khalid Almihdhar, and Nawaf Alhazmi had checked into the Marriott Residence Inn
in Herndon, Virginia
, the same hotel he was staying at, the night before the attacks.
Throughout much of the 1990s, he acted as director for the SAAR Foundation
which has been accused of supplying terrorist groups with illicit funding.
He was questioned by the FBI shortly after the attacks, but reportedly feigned a seizure during the interview and was taken to a nearby hospital where it was reported he was in perfect health. Since then, no complicity has been proven and it remains murky whether his meeting with the hijackers was coincidental.
On September 19, 2001, once the ban on International flights had been lifted, he was allowed to leave the United States
and return to Saudi Arabia
. Five months later he joined the Saudi government as President of the Affairs of the Holy Mosques Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque)
in Mecca
and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque)
in Medina
.
His nephew, Sami Omar Al-Hussayen
, who was a graduate student at the University of Idaho, was arrested on charges of visa fraud
, and later conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. He was not found guilty on any of the charges, and was willingly deported back to Saudi Arabia
.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
government official who fell under suspicion following the Sept 11th attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
when it was discovered that three of the hijackers, Hani Hanjour
Hani Hanjour
Hani Saleh Hasan Hanjour was the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, crashing the plane into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
, Khalid Almihdhar, and Nawaf Alhazmi had checked into the Marriott Residence Inn
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
in Herndon, Virginia
Herndon, Virginia
Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of the United States. The population was 21,655 at the 2000 census, which makes it the largest of three towns in the county.-History:...
, the same hotel he was staying at, the night before the attacks.
Throughout much of the 1990s, he acted as director for the SAAR Foundation
SAAR Foundation
The SAAR Foundation was a flagship corporation representing charities, think tanks, and business entities named after its founder, Saudi patriarch Sulaiman Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi. The SAAR Foundation achieved prominence as the key subject of a March 20, 2002 raid by federal agents, as a part of...
which has been accused of supplying terrorist groups with illicit funding.
He was questioned by the FBI shortly after the attacks, but reportedly feigned a seizure during the interview and was taken to a nearby hospital where it was reported he was in perfect health. Since then, no complicity has been proven and it remains murky whether his meeting with the hijackers was coincidental.
On September 19, 2001, once the ban on International flights had been lifted, he was allowed to leave the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and return to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. Five months later he joined the Saudi government as President of the Affairs of the Holy Mosques Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque)
Masjid al-Haram
Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām is the largest mosque in the world. Located in the city of Mecca, it surrounds the Kaaba, the place which Muslims worldwide turn towards while performing daily prayers and is Islam's holiest place...
in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque)
Al-Masjid al-Nabawi
Al-Masjid al-Nabawi , often called the Prophet's Mosque, is a mosque situated in the city of Medina. As the final resting place of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, it is considered the second holiest site in Islam by Muslims and is one of the largest mosques in the world...
in Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
.
His nephew, Sami Omar Al-Hussayen
Sami Omar Al-Hussayen
Sami Omar Al-Hussayen, also known as Sami Al-Hussayen, a native of Saudi Arabia and former graduate student in Computer Science at the University of Idaho, is a Webmaster who was acquitted of charges that he ran Web sites which supported terrorism....
, who was a graduate student at the University of Idaho, was arrested on charges of visa fraud
Visa fraud
Visa Fraud has different criteria in various parts of the world, but the commonly accepted points are the sale, provision, or transfer of otherwise legitimate visas, misrepresentation of reasons for traveling and forgery or alteration of a visa....
, and later conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. He was not found guilty on any of the charges, and was willingly deported back to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.