9/11 Archives

Saudis paid US veterans in attempt to kill 9/11 law: Report

May 11, 2017 by administrator

Saudi Arabia has paid tens of thousands of dollars to US army veterans in an attempt to kill a recently-passed law allowing 9/11 families to sue Saudi nationals for their alleged role in facilitating the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed thousands of Americans, a report says.

The US Congress overwhelmingly voted in September of last year to override then President Barack Obama’s veto of the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which allows relatives of the victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi campaign includes paying American military veterans to visit Capitol Hill and warn lawmakers about what they said could be unintended consequences, The Associated Press reported on Thursday.

Some of the recruited veterans said Saudi Arabia’s government was largely paying for the effort, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The veterans’ lobbying effort began within a month after the September vote. Apparently, after failing to fight off the bill in Congress and Obama’s White House, Saudis have hired 75 foreign agents across the US to fund lavish trips to Washington for veterans, which included lodging them at new Trump Hotel near the White House.

The veterans however told the New York Post in March that they were misled and openly lied to by trip organizers Qorvis MSLGROUP.

According to the vets, an organizer denied any “Saudi involvement” in sponsoring the trip, despite the fact that federal filings show the organizer had struck a $100,000 contract with the Saudis and is registered as a foreign agent for the regime.

The Saudi lobbyists, who posed as veteran advocates, had told the vets that JASTA exposes them, as well as “150,000 [US] military personnel stationed in over 150 countries,” to “retaliatory lawsuits” in foreign courts.

JASTA, however, deals only with the immunity of foreign states and poses little risk against individuals.

The September 11, 2001 attacks, also known as the 9/11 attacks, were a series of strikes in the US which killed nearly 3,000 people and caused about $10 billion in property and infrastructure damage.

Of the 19 hijackers that allegedly carried out the attacks, 15 were Saudi nationals and available evidence suggests some of them were linked to high-ranking Saudi officials.

Source: http://presstv.com/Detail/2017/05/11/521466/Saudis-paid-billions-to-US-veterans-to-kill-911-law-Report

911 relatives sue Saudi Arabia

March 21, 2017 by administrator

In a stunning lawsuit seeking to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for 9/11, the families of 800 victims have filed a lawsuit accusing the Saudis of complicity in the worst terror attacks on American soil, Pix11.com reports.
The legal action, filed in federal court in Manhattan, details a scenario of involvement by Saudi officials who are said to have aided some of the hijackers before the attacks.
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals and three of them had previously worked for the kingdom.
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.

Many of the revelations in the lawsuit are culled from findings of an FBI investigation into the terrorist attacks. The suit filed by aviation law firm Kreindler & Kreindler claims some of the hijackers had special markers in their passports, identifying them as al-Qaida sympathizers.

The lawsuit asserts that the Saudi royals, who for years had been trying to curry favor with fundamentalists to avoid losing power, were aware that funds from Saudi charities were being funneled to al-Qaida.
Aviation attorney Jim Kreindler told PIX11 News: “The charities were alter egos of the Saudi government.”
The lawsuit spells out how money was transferred from charities in Saudi Arabia to the terror group.
Charities the lawsuit claims fronted for al-Qaida include the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, an organization that was designated by the U.S. as a sponsor of terrorism.
Kreindler maintains that there was a direct link between all the charities and Osama bin Laden and that they operated with the full knowledge of Saudi officials.
The legal document claims that the Saudis used a variety of means to conceal the money trail to al-Qaida.

“The Saudis were so duplicitous,” Kreindler said. “They claim to be allies fighting with U.S. against Iran, while at the same time working with the terrorists. There’s no question they had a hand in the 9/11 attacks.”

Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama had resisted efforts to hold Saudi Arabia accountable. The kingdom is a key ally against Iran, and its oil interests are important to the United States.

Last September, Congress overrode an Obama veto to pass JASTA — Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act — that would allow Americans to take legal action against countries that support terrorism.

Kreindler wouldn’t put a dollar figure on the amount of damages being sought by the 800 families of those who died and 1,500 first responders and others who suffered because of the attacks.

“This lawsuit is a demonstration of the unwavering commitment of the 9/11 families to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its critical role in the 9/11 attacks,” Kreindler said.

Saudi ex-spy chief linked to al-Qaeda operative engaged in 9/11 attacks

August 7, 2016 by administrator

Former Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Bandar bin Sultan (R) with former US President George W. Bush

Former Saudi intelligence chief and long-time Ambassador to Washington Prince Bandar bin Sultan has been linked to an al-Qaeda operative by the co-chair of a recent US probe into the 9/11 terror incidents.

The recently declassified part of the 9/11 report regarding suspected Saudi ties to some of the hijackers involved in the terror events revealed that a phone log maintained by an alleged senior al-Qaeda operative, identified as Abu Zubaydah, included the unlisted phone number of a Colorado company associated with Bandar as well as the phone number of a bodyguard working at the Saudi Embassy in Washington at the time, CNN reported Friday.

The company in Aspen, Colorado used to manage Prince Bandar’s estate in the Western US state.

“Both of those numbers were unpublished, so they had to have gotten into Zubaydah’s phone book through a personal contact who knew what those numbers were and what they represented,” said former Senator Bob Graham, who co-chaired the congressional commission that compiled the 28 pages of the 9/11 report that remained secret until its release last month.

Although both US intelligence agencies, the CIA and FBI, concluded that there was no evidence that anyone from the Saudi royal family knowingly provided support for the 9/11 attacks, Graham insisted that connection between Zubaydah’s contact list and the company associated with the senior Saudi official was “one of the most stunning parts of the investigation” and worthy of further investigation.

Bandar served as the Saudi ambassador to the US from 1983 to 2005, during the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He later served as secretary general of Saudi Arabia’s National Security Council and the head of the kingdom’s General Intelligence Presidency, the equivalent of the CIA, until last year.

Bandar “is probably the most effective ambassador in Washington ever. Full stop,” said former CIA analyst Bruce Riedel. “He was highly regarded by every president.”

The senior Saudi official was known to have the closest relationship with George H. W. Bush, in part due to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in the 1990 Persian Gulf War, in which Riyadh viewed the Iraqi aggression as a threat and supported the subsequent US military action.

“Bandar was in the Bush White House, I would say, every other day and in some periods every day. It was a very, very close relationship,” Riedel added. “And I think the president and Bandar genuinely liked each other.”

Saudi authorities have denied allegations on their involvement in the September 2001 incidents in which nearly 3,000 people were killed in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 attacks were Saudi nationals.

source: http://presstv.com/Detail/2016/08/07/478834/US-Saudi-Arabia-Prince-Bandar-bin-Sultan-911-commission-Senator-Bob-Graham-alQaeda-operative

US report hints at Saudi involvement in 9/11 attacks

July 16, 2016 by administrator

The US government has released 28 pages of a congressional report on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which show the Saudi government may have had a hand in the attacks.

“While in the United States, some of the September 11 hijackers were in contact with, and received support or assistance from, individuals who may be connected to the Saudi Government,” reads part of the report released on Friday.

“There is information, primarily from FBI sources, that at least two of those individuals were alleged by some to be Saudi intelligence officers.”

The Joint Inquiry also hints at Saudi Arabia’s support for terrorist activities in the US and other countries, but fails to show its extent.

“In their testimony, neither CIA nor FBI witnesses were able to identify definitively the extent of Saudi support for terrorist activity globally or within the United.”

The report also shows information indicating that “Saudi Government officials in the United States may have other ties to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.”

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has welcomed the release of the pages, saying there is no proof of Saudi involvement in the attacks.

“Since 2002, the 9/11 Commission and several government agencies, including the CIA and the FBI, have investigated the contents of the ‘28 Pages’ and have confirmed that neither the Saudi government, nor senior Saudi officials, nor any person acting on behalf of the Saudi government provided any support or encouragement for these attacks,” the Saudi Embassy in Washington said in a statement.

President Barack Obama, under pressure from Congress and the public, announced in April that the secret pages, which have been kept secret since 2002, would be declassified soon.

Former President George W. Bush and his vice president, Dick Cheney, reportedly told the commission that they would not be formally interviewed in relation to the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people and caused about $10 billion worth of property and infrastructure damage.

source: http://presstv.com/Detail/2016/07/15/475365/US-911-attack-Saudi-Arabia

Washington: Saudi has lobbyists to confront 9/11 bill: Report

April 20, 2016 by administrator

Saudi Arabia has an army of Washington lobbyists to deploy as it tries to stop US Congress from passing legislation that could expose the country to litigation over the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a report says.

According to The Hill newspaper, which is published by Capitol Hill Publishing and covers congressional news, the kingdom employs a total of eight American firms that perform lobbying, consulting, public relations and legal work.

Five of the firms work for the Saudi Arabia embassy, while another two have registered to represent the Center for Studies and Media Affairs at the Saudi Royal Court, an arm of the government, it said.

PR giant Edelman, meanwhile, is working for the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority to encourage international investment, the paper added.

If signed into law, the act would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi government for any role it may have had in the attacks.

Riyadh has threatened to sell off USD 750 billion in American assets held by Saudi Arabia if the bill is passed. The selling of the assets would prevent them from being frozen by US courts if American victims are enabled to sue Saudi Arabia.

The White House has, however, indicated that Obama, who is currently on a trip to Riyadh, will veto the legislation if it is passed.

According to The Hill, the hiring spree began early last year when Saudi Arabia signed six K Street firms and added BGR to its roster last month.

The K Street Project is an effort by the Republican Party to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire Republicans in top positions, and to reward loyal GOP lobbyists with access to influential officials, an arrangement known as crony capitalism.

BGR Group is a lobbying firm based in Washington DC, three blocks from the White House, and also has an office in London.

According to disclosure records filed to the US Justice Department, Saudi Arabia spent more than $9.4 million on advocacy in Washington for all of 2015.

Separate from the legislative push, members of US Congress are discussing the declassification of 28 pages from the 2002 congressional inquiry that reportedly examined the link between forces in Saudi Arabia and 9/11.

The dispute is causing a diplomatic storm for the Obama administration. Saudi Arabia has long been an ally of the US despite the country’s history of abusing human rights.

Obama Sides with Saudis, Opposes Bill to Release 9/11 Findings

April 16, 2016 by administrator

The Obama Administration has been lobbying Congress to block a bill that would allow Saudi Arabia’s government to be held accountable in American courts for any role it played in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In addition to Obama’s efforts to keep information about 9/11 confidential, Saudi Arabia has threatened to sell hundreds of billions of dollars worth of its American assets if Congress passes the bill. In recent weeks, administration officials have been warning lawmakers of the bill’s potential economic fallout.

The Obama Administration’s strict opposition to the 9/11 bill has left many family members of the terror attacks’ victims outraged.

Mindy Kleinberg, whose husband died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, expressed her discontent in an interview with the New York Times.

“It’s stunning to think that our government would back the Saudis over its own citizens,” Kleinberg said.

In the past, families of the victims have had trouble using the courts to face elements of Saudi banks and the Saudi royal family, whom they’ve accused of funding terrorism. Their efforts were slowed by a 1976 law that awards foreign nations a certain degree of immunity from lawsuits in American courts.

The 9/11 bill would eliminate this immunity for nations found culpable of terrorist attacks that kill Americans on American soil.

So far, a 9/11 Commission found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded the organization [Al-Qaeda].”

Critics argue that the Commission’s limited scope and wording steered the investigation away from lesser-level officials and other elements of the government that may have played a role in the terror plot.

They also point to a still-classified Congressional Inquiry in 2002, which cited evidence that members of the Saudi government played a role in the 9/11 attacks.

Nonetheless, the Obama Administration argues that limiting foreign nations’ immunity would put the American government, as well as its citizens and corporations at risk of lawsuits if foreign nations were to retaliate with their own legislation.

As for Saudi Arabia’s economic threat, some economists are calling the move an “empty threat” that would not only be difficult to pull off, but it would also cripple the Kingdom’s own economy.

Source: sputniknews.com

US failure to see Saudi role in 9/11 contributed to rise of ISIS – ex-senator

September 14, 2014 by administrator

Failure by the US to investigate Saudi Arabia’s connection to the 9/11 attacks is among the factors that led to the rise of ISIS, Bob Graham, a former senator and co-chairman of the official inquiry into 9/11, told The Independent in an interview. Report RT.COM

Graham has expressed doubts about the US’s reliance on Saudi Arabia as an ally in fight against Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL). Earlier this week President Obama announced a plan, according to which Saudi Arabia is supposed to provide training for moderate Syrian rebels, who are expected to fight both the ISIS and Assad’s forces.

‘No safe haven’: Obama declares airstrikes on Islamic State ‘wherever it exists’

The former senator said it was not the best decision to rely on the country which has often been accused of sponsoring “the most extreme elements among the Sunni.”

The US appears to have a history of turning a blind eye to the disputable activities of its long-time ally. Graham, who was in the Senate for 18 years and chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee for more than a year following 9/11, questions the way US intelligence treated the Saudis after the attack on the Twin Towers.

Despite the fact that 15 out of 19 of the hijackers were Saudis, some 144 of their compatriots mostly from the Saudi aristocracy, were able to return home to Saudi Arabia within days of the attack without being questioned by the FBI.

“There were several incidents [in which US officials] were inexplicably solicitous to Saudis,” Senator Graham recalls.

“I believe that the failure to shine a full light on Saudi actions and particularly its involvement in 9/11 has contributed to the Saudi ability to continue to engage in actions that are damaging to the US – and in particular their support for ISIS,” he says.

US allies cultivated Islamic State. Now IS plans to ‘raise flag of Allah in White House’

Some light on the Saudi role in the 9/11 tragedy could be shed if the 28 redacted pages from the inquiry were made public. Graham has been campaigning for that.

Obama promised to release the censored documents during his first presidential campaign, but haven’t yet delivered on the promise.

Graham speaks of close personal ties between the Bush family and the Saudi Arabia rulers. But why the “policy of covering up Saudi involvement [in 9/11] persisted under the Obama administration” is something he fails to understand.