Saudi Arabia has vowed that it will sell billions of dollars’ worth of their American assets if Congress passes the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) that would allow the Saudis to be held responsible by US courts for any part of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The Obama administration is pressuring Congress to block JASTA’s passage, arguing that its passage could put Americans at legal risk overseas, reported Mark Mazzetti in the April 15, 2016 New York Times.
Saudi Arabia has long denied any involvement in the September 11 attacks, and the 9/11 Commission found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded the organization.” But the ambiguity of the wording raises the possibility that others in the Saudi government could have had a hand in planning the attacks. A 2002 Congressional inquiry into the attacks raised suspicions against some US-based Saudis.
