In brief
Holly Ratchford, who once managed Parkwood Apartments in San Diego, learned that her tenant Omar al‑Bayoumi had links to the Saudi intelligence service and helped two future 9/11 hijackers settle in the city. Ratchford kept the story quiet for 25 years until she agreed to speak publicly for BBC Panorama and a new podcast. Her testimony shows how Bayoumi mediated the rent and support for Nawaf al‑Hazmi and Khalid al‑Mihdhar, who later flew Flight 77 into the Pentagon. The case is now part of a $1 trillion lawsuit against Saudi Arabia, with courts still debating Bayoumi’s role.
From Pool Parties to 9/11: Met with a Possible Saudi Spy
Holly Ratchford’s first work job was as a property manager in the late 1990s, running the Parkwood Apartments in the San Diego suburbs. On a rainy Sunday, a friendly tenant named Omar al‑Bayoumi moved into unit 152, bringing his family and two other men who would later become the hijackers of Flight 77.
“Bubbles, smiles, friendly,” Ratchford said of him, but the real story unfolded when Bayoumi asked her to help the two men find an apartment. Though the men didn’t meet income or banking criteria, Bayoumi used his own name as a guarantor and even paid their rent when they fell behind.
The FBI reveals that Bayoumi was paid $90,000 a year from Saudi Ministry of Defence-linked companies and kept a home video log of his “religious” gatherings—nothing that proved innocence. He later admitted to being “co‑ordinating” with Saudi officials to help the hijackers.
Ratchford kept her story to herself for 25 years until she agreed to speak on BBC Panorama and a new podcast, describing how she was shocked to learn the twins were part of 9/11’s Pentagon attack. Her testimony was sealed in court and added to a $1 trillion lawsuit against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, now pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Today, Ratchford lives far from the city – in a remote western desert – and recounted how 9/11 flipped her life’s “switch.” She also unveiled the details of Bayoumi’s “involvement” – a mystery that adds yet another layer to the complex story of that day.
