Judge rejects Saudi Arabia's bid to dismiss claims it supported 9/11 hijackers

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NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in New York on Thursday rejected Saudi Arabia’s latest effort to dismiss civil claims that it supported the 9/11 hijackers.

Judge George B. Daniels said in a written opinion that his decision pertained to jurisdiction rather than the merits of the claims against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

However, he found the claims legally sufficient to proceed to trial, noting that an imam and an accountant's employment by Saudi Arabia likely had some connection with their support of two al-Qaida members who came to the United States in early 2000 to study English and take flight lessons.

Lawyers for Saudi Arabia argued that the nation and the U.S. were partners in the 1990s against terrorism, al-Qaida and its founder, Osama bin Laden.

Lawyers for relatives of 9/11 victims claim that a group of extremist religious leaders in Saudi Arabia aided the 9/11 hijackers who flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

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 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.

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.”