A federal judge in New York rejected Saudi Arabia’s latest effort to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges the country supported the 9/11 hijackers, in what family members of victims described as a “powerful step toward justice”.
Judge George B Daniels said that the claims in the lawsuit, brought by the families of those murdered, were legally sufficient to proceed to trial. He noted that the employment of an imam and an accountant by Saudi Arabia likely had some connection with the pair’s support of two al-Qaida members who came to the United States in early 2000 to study English and take flight lessons.
He said the plaintiffs had provided “reasonable evidence as to the roles” that two Saudi men, Omar al-Bayoumi and Fahad al-Thumairy, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allegedly played, Axios reported.
The case alleges that Saudi Arabian government agents provided “an essential support network” for the hijackers. In his ruling, Daniels wrote that Bayoumi “seemed to serve as a connecting point between the hijackers and many other people who had provided assistance to the hijackers at one point or another”, the New York Times reported.
Lawyers for relatives of 9/11 victims claim that a group of extremist religious leaders in Saudi Arabia aided the 9/11 hijackers who flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001.
Terry Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families United, a group made up of family members of those murdered in the terrorist attacks, said in a statement: “Today’s decision is another powerful step toward justice. For nearly a quarter-century, the 9/11 families have sought accountability for the support and resources that helped make the attacks possible. Judge Daniels’ ruling makes clear that Saudi Arabia cannot escape responsibility through procedural maneuvers. We are prepared to move forward and present the full scope of evidence in court, so that the truth is undeniable and justice is finally delivered.”
Strada added: “Justice demands more than promises. It requires transparency from our own government, accountability from those who aided the hijackers, and action from Congress. Our community will not stop until every fact is brought to light and every path to justice is secured.”
Last year a video, filmed in 1999, was released showing Bayoumi – identified by the FBI as a Saudi intelligence agent – filming locations in the center of Washington three months before al-Qaida decided to carry out the 9/11 attacks.
The video, obtained and published by CBS, includes commentary from Bayoumi about various locations in the city, including the Washington Monument and the entry points and security arrangements of the US Capitol building, and referring at one point to a “plan”.
