FOIA Request submitted to FBI for 76 Photos taken by Israeli Nationals of Twin Towers on 9/11

Text of FOIA request below:

June 08, 2025

Dear FOIA Officer:

This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552.

I hereby request one (1) copy each of seventy-six (76) photographs developed by FBI-NK on or around September 13, 2001 from film negatives taken from one or more 35 mm cameras seized by FBI-NK from “a white Chevrolet van, New Jersey, license plate JRJ13Y, registered to Urban Moving Systems, 312 Pavonia, Pavonia Avenue #1, Jersey City, New Jersey” by the “FBI’s Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force” on September 11, 2001.

To be clear, I am requesting high-quality copies of each of the seventy-six (76) photographs developed by FBI-NK described herein. If high-quality copies are not available, I request that more high-quality copies be made from the 35 mm negatives referenced herein and be provided to me to satisfy this FOIA request.

To aid with your search for the above-referenced photographs, I am including text from FBI documents released under FOIA which describe the photographs that I am requesting.

Quoted text from the FBI in this FOIA request is referenced by quotation marks. The referenced FBI text herein was made from my transcription of .pdfs which include the FBI text. These transcriptions may contain typos or other minor errors. The word REDACTED refers to text that was apparently redacted by the FBI. The word REDACTED was not included in any text by the FBI.

The above-referenced seventy-six (76) photographs were described by the FBI under a heading of “FD-192” on “09/12/02” at “14:29:25” as “Item #1 (3) COPIES OF EACH (76) 8 X 10 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS.’”

More FBI text on the “Item #1” description of the seventy-six (76) photographs is as follows. All text beginning with “FD-192” through “S18” is FBI text.

“FD-192

09/12/02

14:29:25

TITLE AND CHARACTER OF CASE: REDACTED

DATE PROPERTY ACQUIRED: 9/13/2001

Source from which Property Acquired: REDACTED FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY UN WEST TRENTON NJ

Description of Property

Item #1 (3) COPIES OF EACH (76) 8 X 10 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS;

ITEM #2 FILM NEGATIVES;

*IN CONNECTION WITH INVESTIGATION OF 2001 WHITE CHEVROLET VAN, NJ REGISTRATION JRJ13Y;

Barcode: E01889076

Location: ECR3 S18”

A description of the event of the seizure of evidence from the white Chevrolet van which contained the film negatives of one or more 35 mm cameras was made by the FBI below. All text between “Date” and “activities” is FBI text.

“Date: 9/14/2001

Full Field Investigation Instituted: 9/14/2001

Details: A REDACTED and ACS search of evidence acquired from a search executed by FBI’s Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force, of a vehicle located on Route 3 East Rutherford, New Jersey, a white Chevrolet van, New Jersey, license plate JRJ13Y, registered to Urban Moving Systems, 312 Pavonia, Pavonia Avenue #1, Jersey City, New Jersey, contained telephone numbers and name associated with previously identified REDACTED REDACTED and activities.”

Further descriptions of the content of the seventy-six (76) photographs were made by the FBI below.

“Film obtained from the 35 mm camera of one of the detainees was later developed and processed by FBI-NK. The photos depicted REDACTED and REDACTED located at an observation point later determined to be the parking lot adjacent to the Doris Towers apartments located at 100 Manhattan Avenue in Union City, NJ. The three (3) Israelis, sitting together on top of a white van, are visibly smiling on at least three (3) of the photographs.”

“The photographs also revealed that all five (5) Israelis later observed the WTC burning from a location on the top of a roof of an Urban Moving Systems warehouse located adjacent to the Urban Moving Systems office location described herein.”

“By way of background, one of the earliest taken by the Israelis from the parking-lot observation point shows what is believed to be a local news helicopter hovering over the Hudson River between the parking lot and the WTC (this helicopter appeared in the foreground of the third photograph taken).”

“At the time of their arrests, individuals had several cameras and rolls of film in their possession. FBI-NK developed the film, which had several photos of the World Trade Center Towers (WTC) with smoke coming out of at least one of the towers. Since the volume and density of the smoke did not seem to be very great, it appeared that the photographs were taken at a very early stage in the WTC event.”

“FBI-NK obtained the videotape of a local news helicopter crew which provided footage of the explosion beginning just minutes after the initial impact of the aircraft into the North Tower (Tower #1) of the WTC. A comparison of this videotape with the still photographs taken by the Israelis implied that the Israeli photographs were taken closer to the explosion of Tower #2 (South Tower) than to the impact of the initial impact into Tower #1. This comparison, albeit non-scientific, corroborated the three Israelis’ claim that they departed Urban Moving Systems for the parking lot observation point after hearing of the initial impact.”

“After increasing the resolution of the photograph and comparing the burn progression on World Trade Center One to the video of the event taken from N8BQ, it is opined that the photograph depicts the scene at approximately 9:00 AM EST.”

Thank you,

Charles Wright

P.S.

As you can see, I found some more FBI documents on 9/11 recently. I’ll be posting some observations from these documents in pay articles. To balance the public need to know the basic facts with my need to earn a living, I’ll state the fact I’m reporting further in the headline.

To support further research on 9/11, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription or “buy me a coffee.” Thank you.

Charles Wright