'I still struggle': Landlady recalls Saudi man who brought 9/11 hijackers to her office

Holly Ratchford, the manager of a San Diego apartment complex, recounted her experiences with Omar al-Bayoumi, one of the men accused of helping the 9/11 hijackers. Speaking to the BBC, Ratchford expressed her ongoing difficulty in differentiating the friendly demeanor she remembered from the allegations against him. "It's nearly impossible for me to comprehend who he claimed to be versus who he truly was," she stated.

Al-Bayoumi and his family moved into the Parkwood Apartments in September 1999, quickly becoming a familiar face at Ratchford's pool parties. Known for his "bubbly and smiling" personality, he was described as "very, very friendly." In February 2000, he brought two individuals, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, to Ratchford's office seeking an apartment. Despite not meeting the income requirements, al-Bayoumi co-signed their lease and assisted them in opening a bank account.

Al-Hazmi and Mihdhar, who later emerged as part of the 19 al-Qaeda members responsible for the September 11 attacks, never met the apartment complex's income requirements. At the time, Ratchford found no reason to suspect them, describing them as "nice, polite" individuals. She only learned of their true identities in the aftermath of the attacks when a woman inquiring about rental references suggested they were terrorists who had hijacked a plane into the Pentagon.

The FBI contacted Ratchford on September 14, 2001, and obtained Bayoumi's guarantor form. Former FBI investigator Richard Lambert revealed that investigators later identified "a network headed up by Omar al-Bayoumi." In August 2025, a New York federal judge concluded that there was sufficient evidence to suggest a "reasonable inference" that al-Bayoumi and a Saudi diplomat were coordinating with the Saudi government while aiding the hijackers.

Saudi Arabia and al-Bayoumi have both denied these allegations, with Saudi Arabia currently appealing the ruling.

Ratchford, who has provided a sealed declaration to the New York court, has been deeply affected by her association with the hijackers for the past 25 years.