Why were Saudi royals with ‘links to 9/11’ allowed to leave the U.S. without being quizzed by the FBI?

Startling new information shows the FBI never questioned members of the Saudi Royal Family before allowing them to flee the United States in the days immediately following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.



Aboard the plane were two princes -- one of whom allegedly had been in contact with al-Qaeda before the the attacks and another whose father's longtime adviser owned a house in Florida that was allegedly visited several times by some of the hijackers.



What's more, the FBI's detailed report to Congress and President George W. Bush on the Saudi exodus was so flawed, it didn't even correctly identify one of the princes, according to new reporting by MSNBC.



Early warning: Prince Ahmed bein Salman (right, with the Clintons after winning the Belmont Stakes) has been accused of receiving contact from al-Quaeda

Stuck in Florida: Saudi Prince Sultan Bin Fahd (left) has ties to his father's close adviser, who owned a house visited by September 11 hijackers

On the day of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, there were two members of the Saudi Royal family on American soil.



One, Prince Ahmed bin Salman, a media baron with vast wealth and a passion for racing expensive horses, was in Lexington Kentucky for the annual sale of thoroughbred yearlings.



The second, Prince Sultan bin Fahd, was a 22-year-old royal living in Sarasota, Florida, and studying at the University of Tampa’s American Language Academy.



Both men, MSNBC reports, were later found to have troubling connections to the men who hijacked four planes on September 11, 2001.



Al-Qaida had allegedly been in contact with Prince Ahmed before the attacks, according to statements made by one of Osama bin Ladin's top aides, Abu Zubaydah, MSNBC reported.



Secret flight: Prince Sultan was studying at the University of Tampa American Language Academy in Florida and took a private plane to Lexington, Kentucky

The Prince's family has strenuously denied these allegations and said he loved the United States.

Additionally, an FBI supervisor reported that Prince Ahmed told a local TV station in the days after the attacks that he was bin Laden's cousin.



However, no video of such an interview has ever surfaced and there is no evidence Prince Ahmed had family ties to bin Laden.



More strange is the fact that Prince Ahmed died in July 2002 at age 43 of heart failure. The circumstances of his death remain unclear to this day.



Prince Sultan, meanwhile, had links to Esam Ghazzawi -- a top adviser to his father Prince Fahd.



Ghazzawi allegedly owned a home in Sarasota that was visited several times by Mohamad Atta, the leader of the September 11 hijackers, and his group.



On the day of the attacks, Prince Sultan was in Sarasota. He received a call from his uncle who told him to make it to Lexington as soon as they could so they could leave the country amid mounting anti-Saudi sentiment.



A former Florida police officer and a former FBI agent were hired to provide protection for the young royal and his colleagues.



In the hours after the September 11 attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights until 11am September 13.



Though it has been reported that the Saudis flew during this air prohibition, according to MSNBC, Prince Sultan and his friends actually didn't leave on a chartered jet until five hours after the flight ban was lifted.

The FBI report to Congress and President George W. Bush lists another method of travel entirely. The FBI claimed that the prince hired a car and drove the 900 miles north to Kentucky.



But the two men who worked for the prince's security detail said the FBI got this all wrong, MSNBC says.

Another key detail the FBI got wrong was Prince Sultan's identity.



The FBI said the young prince was the son of Prince Ahmed. However, Prince Sultant is actually the older royal's nephew.



Three days after prince touched down in Lexington, Kentucky, he and Prince Ahmed, along with 12 other Saudis boarded a Boeing 727 and flew back to Saudi Arabia.



None of the men was ever questioned by the FBI before they were allowed to leave the country, according to MSNBC.





