In New York, a federal judge ruled on Thursday against Saudi Arabia’s recent request to dismiss civil lawsuits accusing it of supporting the 9/11 hijackers.
Judge George B. Daniels clarified that his ruling focused on jurisdiction, not the actual merits of the claims against Saudi Arabia.
He determined that the claims were valid enough to proceed to trial, referencing that the employment of an imam and an accountant by Saudi Arabia might be linked to their assistance of two al-Qaida operatives who arrived in the U.S. in early 2000 for English and flight training.
Saudi Arabia’s legal representatives contended that both countries were allies in the 1990s against terrorism, al-Qaida, and its leader, Osama bin Laden.
Attorneys for the families of 9/11 victims allege that a faction of extremist religious leaders in Saudi Arabia supported the 9/11 attackers responsible for crashing planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The lawsuits by hundreds of relatives of victims and injured survivors, along with insurance companies and businesses, contend that Saudi government employees knowingly helped the hijackers and plotters, thus aiding al-Qaida’s rise by channeling funds through charities supporting them.
Some defendants, including Iran, the Taliban and al-Qaida, already have been found in default.
During oral arguments last year, attorney Michael Kellogg noted that Saudi Arabia in the 1990s stripped bin Laden of his citizenship and had taken more actions against him than any other country prior to the Sept. 11 attacks.
A message seeking comment from Kellogg was not immediately returned.
The law firm of Kreinder & Kreindler, which represents plaintiffs, said in a statement that the judge’s decision “ensures that the plaintiffs may continue their long pursuit of truth and justice.”
