UPDATED ON:
Friday, August 15, 2008
02:45 Mecca time, 23:45 GMT
 
News Americas
Saudi Arabia wins 9/11 court battle
Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda group has said
it carried out the 9/11 attacks [EPA]

A US court has ruled that Saudi Arabia and four of its princes are immune from legal action by victims of the September 11 attacks in the US alleging they provided material support to al-Qaeda.

A Saudi banker and a charity were also to be given immunity from prosecution, a federal appeals court in New York ruled on Thursday.

The ruling, by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, upheld a 2006 ruling dismissing a claim against the Saudis.

The victims and their families said that because the defendants gave money to charities that in turn gave money to al-Qaeda, they should be held responsible for helping to finance the attacks.

The appeals court found that the defendants were protected under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

The court also said exceptions to the immunity rule do not apply because Saudi Arabia has not been designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the US state department.

About 3,000 people were killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington which has been claimed by al-Qaeda.

Feedback Number of comments : 19
 
Eva
Uganda
15/08/2008
unfairness
if it wasn't for the deals that the U.S had with Kingdom of Saudi(oil deals and the like), it would have treated these people as bad as the people from other countries. Where is the fairness?

sameen
India
17/08/2008
Al-Qaidas backer
So, Saudi Arabia has been absolved of any resposibility in the 9/11 attack. Pakistan has always been a great ally in 'fight against terror'. Then who are main backer of al- Qaida. Is it Iran. North Korea or Venezuela?

WAN ROSELAN
Malaysia
17/08/2008
Saudi Wins 9/11
Bush supposed to be held responsible and in turn the American people whose have chosen the Bullshitter the prime supporter of the massacre of palestinians in the hand of Israel. No Al Qaeda if no reason given for them to gain support to fight suppression against Muslims.

Paulo
Brazil
17/08/2008
Justice
Wondering about, not the dozen or thousands but the millions, the families of inocente childrens, women and old people who are cowardely injured, killed and massacrated by american army armed and financed by american banks and companies. Whick kind of justice must they should expect ?justice" ?

steve
United States
17/08/2008
I think the ruling is good, but I hate the reasoning.
Thats not why the Saudi family is immune. Article says they are immune because they are foreign citizens (via the FS Immunity Act). Saudi Arabia is not listed as a State Sponsor of terror by the US so the exempt rule does not apply to them.

Richard Columbare
United States
17/08/2008
Justice in the united states
If your looking for justice in the U.S after eight years of republican and neo-conservative rule ,forget about it. Friends of the regime get a pass or a pardon(scooter libby) for example. And the ordinary citizen gets fines or punishment and coerced into accepting it by the prosecution. I know from whence I speak!

Just Pencil
India
17/08/2008
WTC Attack
Is America all about money and compensation? Israel and its Intel organized 9/11, Bush and his Intel let it happen. And the Americans want Saudi Arabia to pay for it. Where do Americans learn their math? MIT?

muhyadin haji
Somalia
17/08/2008
proboganda of the US
US court in Newyork courted that muslim charity in Saudi Arabia was reposible of financing al-qaida.I think that statement was un assured and just like trash court.becouse the 11 septamber was just a banishment from allah on US becouse US believed that its power is the only one that can safe her and allah has no power over all,for the sake of that allah made alqaida more thinker and braves to do that mission The Impossible Mission.so america should obey and talk the word of god before its lat

Stuart Tootell
Thailand
18/08/2008
Saudi wins 9/11 court battle
One does indeed wonder just how much the debt bondage of the Bush family business to the Bin Sauds played a part in this case ? America controlled by a PRESIDENT (?) in the Bin Sauds pocket due to nepotism and debts. No wonder the place is

Ayub
Afghanistan
18/08/2008
9/11 US and Saudi Arabia.
We will never know in my lifetime who was behind the 9/11 attacks.There are many conspiracy theories.My personal opinion,i think the US did it,with the help of a few saudis,compensated a poor few and deviced this ingenius plan to bring down the towers.I can see 1 or 2 planes being hijacked, but 4 planes hijacked and it wasn't shot down by the US that's a bunch of bull.The US claims they didn't want to kill civilians,that's bull,when they killed thousands in the civil war and also Vietnam.Please!

Mohd
Bahrain
19/08/2008
WTC attack
After 9/11 America has invaded Iraq and Afghanistan and i heard that the bombers from 9/11 were Saudis So my question is, Why does The US list Iran as part of the So called ''Axis of Evil'' when (if i am correct) i have never seen an Iranian hijacking a plane or blowing themselves up.

Rorik Strindberg
United States
15/08/2008
'victims and their families said that because the defendants gave money to charities that in turn gave money to al-Qaeda' How could any reasonable person believe that Saudi individuals should held responsible for giving money to an organization which in turn gave it to al-Qaeda? One would have to prove that the person donating knew where the money was going to assert any wrong doing. (I think that this was a good ruling)

sarah
United States
17/08/2008
Bush
The Bush family is in bed with the Saudis, not the American people. I have to think that the folks who gave money to charities knew exactly where the money would go. What were the "charities" supposed to be for? Americans are brainwashed.

Gerardo
Canada
17/08/2008
ya they were just donating money to the few chairties that happened to give money to al-Qaeda. what a huge conincidence... or rather a big load of bullshit becayse this is nothing but a huge money laundering scheme to make it less obvious that they are financing al-Qaeda... while the US is using this so called "war on terror" as an excuse to jack up gas prices only to make more money for their saudi investors

Daniel
United States
17/08/2008
I agree with the court's decision. What i find ridiculous is that the majority of the hijackers (assuming there were hijackers, and the wound was not self inflicted) were found to be Saudi (not to mention alive and well). How then could the U.S. not declare Saudi Arabia a state sponsor of terror, when it declares other nations with no ties to 9/11 as such?

David Vickery
Canada
17/08/2008
Excuse me?!
How is this any different from people giving to Islamic charities in North American intended to help poor people of Palestine?? In giving to a charity it is done in good faith and no one knows for sure where it will end up. Why have so many Islamic charities been closed down for fear that proceeds with go to Hamas, when Saudia is immune?

A. Kazi
United States
17/08/2008
The U.S. Funded 9/11!
Look at the facts. The U.S. was behind 9/11!, so why should Saudi's pay for their betrayal? Osama has been dead for over 6 years, and supposedly they are searching for him.... they have to blame someone right?

syanicke
United States
17/08/2008
Longer text box
The feedback form says it allows for 500 characters. But it wont submit unless it has fewer than 250. Also, I think 250 characters is not nearly enough space for intelligent commenting. but keep it up none the less.

HB
Canada
18/08/2008
WTC
I agree with Just Pencil from India and Paolo from Brazil. It is upto the citizens of the world to seek truth which is most often away from the media monopoly line. There are no arabs on the 4 passenger lists from those planes that day while 7 of the "hijackers" are living individuals (i.e. 1 is a pilot for Moroccan Air & I also read this in the local transit paper in Oct., 2001, while the others work in Saudi. STOP THE BULLSHIT!

 
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