Lloyd's syndicate sues Saudi Arabia over 9/11 insurance claims

A lawsuit has been issued against Saudi Arabia over allegations that it provided funding to al Qaeda, making the 9/11 attacks possible. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of a Lloyds syndicate insurer, seeks $215 million to cover insurance claims it paid out.

British insurer Lloyd’s of London syndicate 3500 has filed a court case against Saudi Arabia to recover the $215 million it paid out in insurance settlements relating to the 9/11 attacks. The insurance company claims that al Qaeda was directly funded by Saudi groups who in turn should bear the responsibility of meeting the costs. The lawsuit has been filed in Johnston, West Pennsylvania by law firm Cozen O’Connor and claims that more than $74 million was diverted from Saudi government and charity organizations to al Qaeda. The Insurance Journal said the lawsuit claims

“The success of al Qaeda’s agenda, including the September 11th attacks themselves, has been made possible by the lavish sponsorship al Qaeda has received from its material sponsors and supporters over more than a decade leading up to September 11, 2001”.

The Tribune Democrat lists the primary defendants in the lawsuit as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Red Crescent, the National Commercial Bank, al Rajhi Bank, and the Saudi Joint Relief Committee for Bosnia and Chechnya. The latter was under the control of the Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, half brother of King Abdullah. According to the Independent, the 9/11 Commission Report found no evidence of Saudi government funding of al Qaeda. The Coto Report states that the link between al Qaeda and Saudi Arabia, dating back to al Qaeda’s beginnings and growth during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, was thoroughly investigated before the law suit was filed. Quoting from the lawsuit it reports

“Although al Qaeda has in limited instances established its own charities to serve as channels of support for particular initiatives, al Qaeda’s development into a sophisticated global terrorist network was fueled primarily by the massive support it received from purported charities acting as agents and alter-egos of the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, many of which worked with the al Qaeda leadership during the Afghan jihad.”

The lawsuit also draws heavily on diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks.