Two classified FBI documents contradict the FBI’s public statements that the 9/11 hijackers didn’t have a connection to Saudis then living in Sarasota, Florida, MSNBC is reporting. Former Florida Sen. Bob Graham, who co-chaired Congress’ Joint Inquiry into the terrorist attacks, said “there are significant inconsistencies between the public statements of the FBI in September and what I read in the classified documents.”

Graham added that one document showed “evidence that the investigation was not the robust inquiry claimed by the FBI. An important investigative lead was not pursued and unsubstantiated statements were accepted as truth.”

It still remains unclear whether the 9/11 hijackers had support within the U.S. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens. The FBI documents Graham saw were from 2002 and 2003, and were prepared by an agent who partook in the Sarasota investigation. When the agent suggested that another federal agency join the investigation, the idea was rejected.

Surveillance tapes and gatehouse visitor logs showed that vehicles driven by the known hijackers had visited the home of Abdulaziz al-Hijjia and his wife, Anoud, which was located in Prestancia, near Sarasota. The couple left the U.S. in the weeks before the 9/11 attacks, and left such personal belongings as cars, furnishings and clothes.

Al-Hijji, who now lives and works in London, said 9/11 was a crime against the US, and was oppressed by the “false allegations” against him. The FBI backed him, saying they didn’t find anything alarming in his background.

The FBI released a letter which denied a Freedom of Information Act request for the records from the Sarasota probe. The agency said the release “could constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”

Written by: Karen Benardello