Epstein files reveal Kaaba cloth pieces shipped to his US residence via UAE-linked contacts
According to the documents, the shipment was arranged by UAE-linked contacts and delivered to Epstein’s residence in Florida several years after he had served a jail sentence and registered as a sex offender.
Recently released court files related to Jeffrey Epstein reveal email correspondence detailing the shipment of pieces of the Kiswa, the sacred cloth that covers the Kaaba in Mecca, from Saudi Arabia to the United States in 2017.
According to the documents, the shipment was arranged by UAE-linked contacts and delivered to Epstein's residence in Florida several years after he had served a jail sentence and registered as a sex offender, reports the Middle East Eye.
Records spanning February and March of 2017 reveal UAE-based businesswoman Aziza al-Ahmadi collaborated with a man Abdullah al-Maari to arrange the shipment of three items linked to the Kiswa that covers the Kaaba at Islam's holiest site in Saudi Arabia.
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According to the emails, the items were transported from Saudi Arabia to Florida by British Airways, with invoices, customs procedures, and US delivery logistics handled as part of the arrangement.
The messages refer to three distinct pieces, one taken from inside the Kaaba, another from the used outer covering, and a third made from the same materials but never used. The correspondence notes that the unused piece was intended to allow the shipment to be classified as "artworks".
In one email, Ahmadi underscored the cloth's religious significance while addressing Epstein directly: "The black piece was touched by minimum 10 million Muslims of different denominations, Sunni, Shia and others."
"They walk around the Kaaba seven rounds then everyone tries as much as they can to touch it and they kept their prayers, wishes, tears and hopes on this piece. Hoping after that all their prayers to be accepted," she added.
The correspondence further shows after Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean in September 2017 and caused extensive damage to Epstein's private island, Little Saint James, Ahmadi repeatedly contacted his secretary over several days to inquire about his safety and the state of the island. Epstein's secretary replied that although infrastructure had suffered significant damage, no one was injured.
The files do not indicate whether Ahmadi ever visited the island or had knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities, which later emerged as a large-scale sex-trafficking operation based on the property.
In a separate email exchange, Epstein's long-time assistant, Lesley Groff, is shown sending Ahmadi a DNA testing kit, though the purpose of the kit is not specified in the documents.
Epstein himself appears to have had limited direct communication with Ahmadi. In one message, she requested a brief visit to Epstein's New York residence to wish him a happy birthday before leaving the city.
Separately, an FBI memo released on Friday alleges that Epstein maintained links with US and Israeli intelligence agencies. "Epstein was close to the former prime minister of Israel, Ehud Barak, and trained as a spy under him," the memo said.
