A former San Diego landlady has spoken publicly for the first time about Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi man accused of helping two future 9/11 hijackers settle in the United States. Her account is significant because it may challenge Bayoumi’s version of events and forms part of continuing efforts by victims’ families to establish whether Saudi officials assisted the plot.

Bayoumi moved into Parkwood Apartments in September 1999 and later introduced Holly Ratchford to Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, who hijacked the plane flown into the Pentagon. A federal judge found that evidence supported a “reasonable inference” that Bayoumi and a Saudi diplomat co-ordinated with the Saudi government while aiding the hijackers, allowing a $1tn (£733bn) lawsuit to proceed; Saudi Arabia and Bayoumi deny the allegations and are appealing. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the 11 September 2001 attacks.