US judge rejects Saudi bid to dismiss 9/11 lawsuit

NEW YORK, Aug. 31 (YPA) – A federal judge in New York has rejected Saudi Arabia’s attempt to halt a lawsuit filed by survivors and families of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Judge George Daniels accused Riyadh of helping facilitate the hijackers’ movements before the attacks.

He said the plaintiffs’ allegations were sufficient to send the case to trial, paving the way for one of the longest legal battles surrounding the deadliest attacks in US history to continue.

Prosecutors accused the Saudi government of involvement in a support network that assisted the hijackers while they were in the United States, specifically through a Saudi diplomat in Los Angeles, Fahad al-Thumairy and Omar al-Bayoumi, who was believed to have assisted the hijackers in California before they moved east.

The United 9/11 Families Alliance, which includes families of victims and survivors, welcomed the court’s decision.

The alliance’s head Terry Strada said the ruling represented a “strong step toward justice,” stressing the families’ willingness to present all evidence in court.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys, Motley Rice, also said the decision paved the way for a public trial that could reveal sensitive details about the alleged role of Saudi officials in facilitating the hijackers’ mission.

AA