More than 850 family members of victims of the 9-11 attacks filed a lawsuit (PDF [7]) March 20 against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [8], alleging that the Saudi state provided support to al-Qaeda [9] in multiple ways. First, it alleges that Saudi Arabian charities ran terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, working hand-in-hand with Osama bin Laden. The suit also claims that the Saudi government directly aided al-Qaeda by providing passports and transportation across the globe. Finally, the suit contends that certain Saudi officials worked with the hijackers in the US for the 18 months leading up to the attacks. The suit seeks unspecified damages, with the primary motive to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the attacks.
This legal challenge only became available after Congress passed [10] the Justice Against State Sponsors of Terrorism Act [11], which provided the legal recourse to sue foreign governments over the 9-11 attacks. The law was quickly condemned by Saudi Arabia [12] after its passage last year.
From Jurist [13], March 21. Used with permission.
