Foreign governments

“The Israelis knew”

The five men in the van, the Odigo messages, and the claims built on them

RECORD / AT A GLANCE

Unproven

The five men were real, were detained, and were investigated by the FBI. Odigo staff did get a vague warning before the attacks. Nothing in the public record shows that the men, the company or Israel knew of the plot. The claim that Israel knew is unproven.

THE EVENTS / THE INVESTIGATION / THE STORY

The chronology.

READ THE FILE

Evidence & assessment.

Open an article for its evidence, labeled AI assessment and numbered sources. Read the complete static edition ↗

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THIS FILE

The claims, rated.

3 claims people make about this file, each rated documented, partly true, disputed, unproven or false. Think a rating is wrong? Use Dispute or Support, or join the Discussion.

DOCUMENTED Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan & Israel

“Five Israelis were arrested after filming the burning towers.”

They were seen on a van roof, stopped, investigated by the FBI and held for visa violations.

Who says it: ABC News; FBI file.

The evidence in this file ↗ · On the full claims board ↗

DOCUMENTED Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan & Israel

“Odigo employees got a warning two hours before.”

Two employees received a vague message warning of an attack, which the company passed to Israeli security and the FBI. It did not name the WTC.

Who says it: Computerworld.

The evidence in this file ↗ · On the full claims board ↗

All 162 rated claims ↗

OPEN THE RECORD

Sources & limits.

Numbered citations in each article identify the relevant sources. These records have different purposes and evidentiary weight.

  1. ABC News 20/20, June 2002: Were Israelis detained on Sept. 11 spies? ↗

    The witness who saw the five men filming the burning towers, the traffic stop and what police found in the van.

  2. FBI Newark file on the five Israelis, section 1 (Internet Archive text of the FOIA release) ↗

    The case summary: the stop, what was seized, the interviews and polygraphs, and the immigration holds.

  3. New York Times, 8 October 2001: 5 young Israelis, caught in net of suspicion ↗

    Their lawyer’s account, the moving-company jobs and the deportation proceedings. Confirmed by search.

  4. Computerworld, 28 September 2001: FBI probes advance IM attack warnings ↗

    The Odigo message claim and what the company said.

← The 9/11 hub: the story, the full timeline and every file

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