5 current events tied to the 9/11 terror attacks
1. Families' lawsuit against Saudi Arabia
Although the 9/11 attacks were performed by the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda and its leader, bin Laden, many noted that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from the Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia.
Over the past couple of decades, families who lost loved ones in the attacks have argued that the Saudi government was at least partially culpable for the tragedy.
They have called on the Saudi kingdom to publicly acknowledge its ties to the attacks, while others have filed a lawsuit against the Saudi government.
Video footage that had been given to the Federal Bureau of Investigation shortly after 9/11 was unsealed in court proceedings last year, CBS News reported in April.
The 1999 video showed a figure believed to be a Saudi intelligence operative, who had ties to two of the hijackers, documenting details about Washington, D.C., including entrances and exits of the U.S. Capitol, security posts and local landmarks.
Last month, Judge George B. Daniels of the Southern District of New York in Manhattan ruled that a civil lawsuit by a group of families against the Saudi government can go to trial.
“This is a historic win for the families,” said Brett Eagleson, a spokesperson for the families whose father had been killed in the World Trade Center attack, as quoted by ProPublica. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is going to be held accountable.”
