Court hearing underway in NYC for lawsuit accusing Saudi Arabia of involvement in 9/11
A hearing is underway in Manhattan for a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia that accuses government officials of providing support for the 9/11 hijackers.
The lawsuit was brought by the families of 9/11 victims who want to hold the Middle Eastern country liable for al-Qaeda's attacks.
The hearing comes weeks after the nation marked 25 years since the deadly attacks.
The suit was temporarily dismissed in 2015, but that decision was overturned by a federal appeals court. While the appeal was pending, Congress enacted a law allowing victims of terror attacks to sue foreign governments and individuals if they provided material support to the attackers.
In August 2025, a judge denied Saudi Arabia's motion to dismiss the filing, citing "reasonable evidence" that officials were involved in the terror attacks.
The Saudi Arabian government has appealed. They have consistently denied any involvement in the attacks.
"Saudi Arabia has spent years trying to avoid answering for what its own agents did in the lead-up to 9/11," said Brett Eagleson, president of 9/11 Justice. "A federal judge has already reviewed the evidence and ruled that this case belongs in an American courtroom. We are asking the Second Circuit to uphold that decision so the families who have waited a quarter of a century can finally have their day in court."
The allegations that members of the Saudi government supported the 9/11 attacks have been ongoing for years. A 2024 report for CBS News' "60 Minutes" revealed evidence about a man named Omar al-Bayoumi, whom the FBI said was an operative of the Saudi intelligence service.
The report said he met two of the hijackers and helped them find housing in California. He claimed he met them by chance, but the 9/11 families said he has deeper ties to the hijackers and to the Saudi government.
