US judge clears path for 9/11 victims’ families to sue Saudi Arabia

Nearly 24 years after the September 11 terror attacks, a federal judge in New York has ruled that Saudi Arabia can face a civil lawsuit over allegations that it aided and supported the al-Qaeda hijackers.

The decision, delivered by U.S. District Judge George Daniels on Thursday, denied Saudi Arabia’s bid to dismiss the long-running case first filed in 2003.

Attorneys for the Saudi government had argued that the kingdom, as a sovereign state, is immune from civil litigation in American courts. But Judge Daniels said victims’ families had presented “reasonable evidence” suggesting that two Saudi citizens, Omar al-Bayoumi and Fahad al-Thumairy, were sent by their government to assist the hijackers in the United States.

“KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] did not proffer sufficient evidence to the contrary,” Daniels said, adding that the explanations provided were “self-contradictory” and not strong enough to dismiss the claims.

According to court records, Bayoumi, who moved to San Diego in 1994 under the guise of pursuing education, allegedly assisted two hijackers, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, in finding accommodation. Similarly, Thumairy, then an imam in Los Angeles, was accused of providing support when the hijackers arrived in the U.S. in January 2000.

On a notepad seized from Bayoumi, investigators reportedly found a sketch of an aeroplane with calculations and notes, fueling suspicions of a deeper connection.

Reacting, families of the nearly 3,000 victims killed in the 9/11 attacks hailed the ruling as a milestone in their decades-long pursuit of justice.

“Nearly a quarter-century after we lost our loved ones, Judge Daniels’ ruling gives us the chance to finally pursue accountability, justice, and closure in their memory,” said Brett Eagleson, president of 9/11 Justice, a coalition of victims’ families.

The ruling allows the families to proceed with evidence collection and, potentially, depositions of Saudi officials, marking the first time a federal court has formally opened the door to testing these claims.

Saudi Arabia has consistently denied any involvement in the 9/11 attacks.

(ABC)

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