Andrew had dinner with Saudi investor whose family was once linked to the 9/11 hijackers to discuss investing in Sarah Ferguson's 'brand'
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had dinner with a Saudi millionaire whose family has been historically linked to the 9/11 hijackers where they discussed plans to invest in Sarah Ferguson’s ‘brand’, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Astonishing emails in the Epstein Files show that Andrew and his former wife Ms Ferguson secretly met with the businessman, before arranging for the ‘friend’ to meet Jeffrey Epstein. The dinner took place in London in 2010 when Andrew was trade envoy but it was not one of his official engagements.
The Saudi entrepreneur, Adel Ghazzawi, now lives in Dubai but his family once owned and lived in a luxury home in Florida which, according to a 2002 declassified FBI report, was frequently visited by the al-Qaeda terrorists ahead of the devastating attacks. There is no evidence suggesting Mr Ghazzawi was aware of their plans, or to suggest that the former Duke and Duchess of York knew of these connections.
But in an email sent to Epstein in January 2010, Ms Ferguson said: ‘My friend Adel Ghazzawi is in New York, and I would love for you to say Hello… He had dinner with Prince Andrew and I last night and we both thought you should meet.’
She went on to explain that Mr Ghazzawi was on a flight to New York from London and that she wanted Epstein to discuss ‘very interesting investment opportunities’ with him as he was a ‘big investor’.
She added: ‘He wants to invest into me and my brand going forward. Mothers Army included!’
While it is unclear whether Mr Ghazzawi eventually invested in Ms Ferguson’s company Mothers Army or her ‘brand’, further emails show that he did meet with Epstein that same week, which was organised by the Duchess’s assistant.
Mr Adel Ghazzawi told the Mail:
'In 2011 the FBI issued a public statement in response to wrong and inaccurate US media reports concerning members of my family. Its statement said: 'At no time did the FBI develop evidence that connected family members to any of the 9/11 hijackers and there was no connection found to the 9/11 plot.'
'These are the simple facts and I hardly think my father would have subsequently have been allowed to become, like me, a proud citizen of the USA, had they been otherwise.'
After the meeting, Epstein emailed Mr Ghazzawi to ask for ‘any deals you think are unique’, copying in Ms Ferguson who replied: ‘Ok. Briefing David today too’.
The family of Saudi entrepreneur, Adel Ghazzawi, once owned and lived in a luxury home in Florida which was allegedly frequently visited by al-Qaeda terrorists ahead of the attacks
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his former wife Sarah Ferguson secretly met with the Saudi businessman, whose family was previously linked to the 9/11 hijackers
David is understood to be David Stern, a businessman who acted as a go-between for Andrew and Epstein as well as a senior advisor to the former Duke.
According to news reports, an initial FBI report found that Mr Ghazzawi's family had connections to the 9/11 hijackers, but no criminal action was ultimately pursued. His father, Esam Ghazzawi, was a money manager for the Saudi royal family at the time of the attacks and FBI documents much later revealed that two 9/11 terrorists had spent time at his property in Sarasota, Florida, while taking flying lessons in nearby Venice.
Mr Ghazzawi is now 55 and resides in Dubai where he owns a luxury beach club. His sister, Annoud, and her husband, Abdulaziz Al-Hijji, lived at the property before the couple left suddenly two weeks before the September 2001 attacks.
Years later, a Florida law enforcement report said that the couple left with the power still on and three cars left at the property, adding: ‘They left behind valuable items, clothing, jewellery and food in a manner that indicated they fled unexpectedly without prior preparation or knowledge.’
The FBI disavowed their original report in 2014, and officially maintains that it found no evidence linking Ghazzawi’s family to the 9/11 plot.
However, despite a 2021 order by President Joe Biden to declassify certain 9/11-related investigative documents, lawyers for the families of the victims maintain that the FBI continue to redact information about individuals at the centre of the dispute.
The MoS approached Andrew and Mr Ghazzawi for comment. A spokesman for Ms Ferguson declined to comment.
