Alwaght- Americans have taken the Saudi regime to court for its role in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York and Washington which left thousands dead and many more injured.
A lawsuit filed on Monday in a federal court on behalf of the families of 850 people who died and another 1,500 who were injured in the 9/11 terror attacks on US soil holds the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia responsible for helping some of the attackers.
The suit filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan, is being handled by Kreindler & Kreindler in New York City, an aviation law firm that has been working with the families for the last 16 years. The claim seeks unspecified monetary damages.
"This lawsuit demonstrates ... the families are never going to give up until we establish that Saudi Arabia is accountable," said lawyer Jim Kreindler.
The suit, which will be heard by U.S. District Judge George Daniels, alleges Saudi Arabia supported al-Qaeda terrorists in several ways.
The document details how officials from Saudi embassies supported hijackers Salem al-Hazmi and Khalid Al-Mihdhar 18 months before 9/11.
The officials allegedly helped them find apartments, learn English and obtain credit cards and cash. The documents state that the officials helped them learn how to blend into the American landscape.
The suit also produces evidence that officials in the Saudi embassy in Germany supported lead hijacker Mohamed Atta. It claims that a Saudi official was in the same hotel in Virginia with several hijackers the night before the attacks.
Meanwhile Saudi Arabia is expecting President Donald Trump to reverse a US law allowing families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue the kingdom, as the first law suit related to the attacks is filed in New York, it has been reported.
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (Jasta) was passed in September last year, which can see foreign governments held to account for acts of terror committed on US soil.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister Khalid al-Falih said his government was “not happy” about the victims’ law and warned there could be consequences felt abroad as a result of Jasta.
Last week Trump met with Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and has been a vocal supporter of the victim’s law in the past. He criticized Obama for vetoing the bill, calling him “shameful” and claiming that it “will go down as one of the low points of his presidency”.
