New York court hears arguments in ongoing 9/11 families' lawsuit against Saudi Arabia
A New York appeals court is hearing arguments to determine if a long-running lawsuit by 9/11 victims' families against Saudi Arabia can proceed to trial. The families allege Saudi officials provided support to the hijackers, while the Kingdom maintains sovereign immunity.
Why it matters
The case tests the limits of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) and has significant implications for international relations and the legal accountability of foreign states in US courts.
Image source, SDNY / Southern District of New York Image caption, Saudi government employee, Omar al-Bayoumi, seen in February 2000
The Court of Appeals in New York has heard arguments from both lawyers for families of 9/11 victims and the government of Saudi Arabia as it decides whether the families' long-running legal case against the Middle Eastern country can move to trial.
Almost 3,000 people were killed on 11 September 2001 after hijackers seized four US passenger jets and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field, following resistance from passengers.
The families allege that a Saudi government employee, Omar al-Bayoumi, knowingly supported two of the hijackers and that he was working with a network of officials linked to the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
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