Current:Home > FinanceLawyers for Saudi Arabia seek dismissal of claims it supported the Sept. 11 hijackers -ProfitPoint
Lawyers for Saudi Arabia seek dismissal of claims it supported the Sept. 11 hijackers
View
Date:2025-04-20 00:07:17
NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Saudi Arabia argued Wednesday that the country fought against terrorism and al-Qaida, just like the United States, in the 1990s and should not be a defendant in lawsuits seeking over $100 billion for relatives of people killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
U..S. District Judge George B. Daniels listened Wednesday to arguments about evidence in the two-decade-old Manhattan case.
Lawyers for relatives of 9/11 victims say that a group of extremist religious leaders in Saudi Arabia gained influence in the Saudi government and aided the 9/11 hijackers who flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Fifteen of the 19 Sept. 11 attackers were Saudis.
In lawsuits, hundreds of victims’ relatives and injured survivors, along with insurance companies and businesses, claim that employees of the Saudi government directly and knowingly assisted the attack’s airplane hijackers and plotters and fueled al-Qaida’s development into a terrorist organization by funding charities that supported them.
Some defendants, including Iran, the Taliban and al-Qaida, already have been found in default.
Lawyers for Saudi Arabia say the nation and the United States were partners in the 1990s against terrorism, al-Qaida and its founder, Osama bin Laden.
Attorneys Michael Kellogg and Gregory G. Rapawy, arguing on behalf of Saudi Arabia, said plaintiffs in the lawsuits had failed to generate sufficient evidence over the last four years of discovery to enable their claims to move forward.
Kellogg noted that Saudi Arabia in the 1990s stripped al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden of his citizenship and had taken more actions against him than any other country prior to the Sept. 11 attacks.
He said the suggestion that Saudi Arabia was behind the terrorism attacks was “truly without any basis in fact and quite contrary to all the relevant evidence.”
Kellogg said the plaintiffs were “equating Islam with terrorism” and rejecting the fact that Saudi Arabia follows the tenets of Islam and rejects terrorism.
Rapawy noted that bin Laden in 1996 condemned Saudi Arabia and the U.S. He said the claims by plaintiffs were “long on assertions and short on evidence.”
Attorney Gavin Simpson, arguing for the plaintiffs, said there was “substantial evidence, indeed compelling evidence” that a militant network of individuals in the United States teamed up with Saudi officials to aid hijackers who came to the United States in early 2000 to prepare for the attacks.
He showed the judge video clips of a Feb. 17, 2000, “welcome party” in California for two of the hijackers, saying 29 individuals were there who later helped the pair to settle in America and prepare for the attacks.
“The examples are abundant, your honor, of the support that was provided,” he said. “The purpose of this party was to welcome the hijackers.”
He rejected Kellogg’s claim that the plaintiffs have equated Islam with terrorism. “We have done nothing of the sort,” Simpson said.
Now-declassified documents show U.S. investigators looked into some Saudi diplomats and others with Saudi government ties who had contact with the hijackers after they arrived in the U.S. The 9/11 Commission report found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded” the attacks al-Qaida masterminded. But the commission also noted “the likelihood” that Saudi-government-sponsored charities did.
Daniels already tossed Saudi Arabia out as a defendant once, but Congress passed legislation that eliminated some defenses and enabled the Sept. 11 victims to reassert their claims. Saudi Arabia, an important U.S. ally in the Middle East, had lobbied against the new law.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Fans pile into final Wembley Stadium show hoping Taylor Swift will announce 'Reputation'
- Canada’s two major freight railroads may stop Thursday if contract dispute isn’t resolved
- 7-year-old found safe after boat capsizes on fishing trip; her 2 grandfathers found dead
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Love Island USA's Nicole Jacky Shares Kendall Washington Broke Up With Her Two Days After Planning Trip
- Defense attorneys for Boston Marathon bomber seek recusal of judge overseeing case
- What Ben Affleck Was Up to When Jennifer Lopez Filed for Divorce
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Western Alaska Yup’ik village floods as river rises from a series of storms
Ranking
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Is Ford going to introduce a 4-door Mustang? Dealers got a preview of the concept
- Disaster declaration approved for Vermont for July flooding from remnants of Beryl
- Halle Berry Praises James Bond Costar Pierce Brosnan For Restoring Her Faith in Men
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Why Adam Sandler Doesn't Recommend His Daughters Watch His New Comedy Special
- Oklahoma State football to wear QR codes on helmets for team NIL fund
- Small and affordable Jeep Cherokee and Renegade SUVs are returning
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
3-year-old girl is among 9 people hurt in 2 shootings in Mississippi capital city
Nebraska lawmakers pass bills to slow the rise of property taxes. Some are pushing to try harder.
Plane crashes into west Texas mobile home park, killing 2 and setting homes ablaze
Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
Elevated lead levels found in drinking water at Oakland, California, public schools
Grapefruit-sized hail? Climate change could bring giant ice stones
Alicia Silverstone leaves fans concerned after eating possibly poisonous fruit