First US citizen to sue Saudi Arabia over 9/11 terrorism

Stephanie DeSimone, whose husband died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, filed a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia, accusing the country of providing material support to al-Qaeda.

Stephanie DeSimone. Photo: RT.

"Without the support of Saudi Arabia, al-Qaeda would not have been able to conceive, plan and carry out the September 11 attacks," CNN quoted information in Stephanie DeSimone's documents submitted to a court in Washington on September 30.

Navy Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Dunn, DeSimone's husband, was killed on September 11, 2001, at the Pentagon, after hijackers crashed an American Airlines plane into the building. DeSimone was two months pregnant at the time.

The plaintiffs, including DeSimone's daughter, suffered "severe and lasting personal injury." They seek compensation. The Saudi Embassy in Washington had no comment.

Image of the September 11 terrorist attack in the US. Photo: Internet

The lawsuit comes just days after the US Congress overrode President Barack Obama's veto and passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which allows lawsuits against Saudi Arabia over the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mr. Obama warned that JASTA would damage relations between Washington and Riyadh, and could even lead to the US being sued.

The US suspects the Saudi government of involvement in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks because 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. Riyadh denies the allegation.

The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry said earlier this week that "activating JASTA creates great concern for countries that oppose the abolition of sovereign immunity, which has governed international relations for hundreds of years. Abolishing sovereign immunity negatively impacts all countries, including the United States."

According to VNE