American journalist Tucker Carlson has claimed that Israeli intelligence had prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, and that the incident was perceived by Israel’s leadership as beneficial to U.S.-Israel relations. Carlson made the remarks during an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored News on Tuesday and revealed that these and other previously hidden details will be examined in his forthcoming documentary series on the 9/11 attacks.
Addressing controversial claims, Carlson clarified that he is not accusing “the Jews” collectively, stating, “Of course I didn’t allege that the Jews did it. I don’t even know what that means. I think, in fact, saying things like that is a way to discredit real questions.” He pointed to comments made by then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after the attacks, citing footage where Netanyahu suggested the events would strengthen U.S. involvement in long-standing conflicts tied to Israel’s interests.
Carlson appeared to reference Netanyahu’s 2002 testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives, where he remarked that democracies “sometimes have to be bombed into going to war,” drawing parallels between 9/11 and the Pearl Harbor attack.
The journalist also revisited the lesser-known “Israeli art students” affair, suggesting it had been deliberately buried from public scrutiny. “We know that a group of ‘Israeli art students’—who clearly were not art students, and some aligned with Israeli intelligence—were arrested and held for quite some time in the U.S. before being released without charges,” Carlson said. He added that FBI documents, not internet speculation, indicated that some members of this group had filmed the attacks and “seemed to have foreknowledge” of the events.
The “art students” first surfaced in late 2000, frequenting U.S. law enforcement and military facilities under the guise of selling artwork, while attempting to socialize with personnel. Reports from that period stated that at least 140 Israeli nationals engaged in such activities were arrested prior to the attacks, with an additional 60 detained shortly thereafter. Some of these individuals reportedly rented apartments near the residences of several 9/11 hijackers.
The allegations, if further substantiated, could reopen debates about foreign intelligence involvement and lapses leading up to the attacks. Carlson’s documentary is expected to delve deeper into these connections, challenging long-standing narratives and highlighting unanswered questions surrounding one of the most consequential events in modern history.
