“The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would allow the families of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks to sue Saudi Arabia over its alleged support for terrorism, despite stiff opposition from the White House,” reports Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post. The bill passed unanimously and will proceed to the House.
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) has proved to be controversial. The White House intimated that the President will veto the bill. Some politicians are concerned that it could damage relations with Saudi Arabia. While bill is not specifically targeted at Saudi Arabia, the country has long been under suspicion concerning the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Saudi government has indicated support for charities and organizations linked to terrorists. A classified 28-page section of a 2002 report from the House and Senate intelligence committees might be able to substantiate that link.
Saudi leaders have denied any role in the attacks, but have threatened to sell their US financial holdings if the pages are released.
