Saudi Arabia can't be sued for 9/11 attacks, court says
Associated Press:
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, three Saudi princes and several Saudi financial institutions were dismissed Tuesday as defendants in six civil lawsuits accusing them of providing support to al-Qaida before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Judge Richard Casey said the president, not the courts, has the authority to label a foreign nation a terrorist, though he said he understood the "desire to find a legal remedy for the horrible wrongs committed on Sept. 11, 2001."
The lawsuits alleged more than 200 defendants provided material support to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. Defendants included al-Qaida, its members and associates, charities, banks, front organizations, terrorist organizations and financiers who allegedly supported al-Qaida.
The judge said the plaintiffs failed to provide sufficient facts to overcome the kingdom of Saudi Arabia's immunity. He said Saudi Arabia maintains it has worked with the United States to share information in the fight against terrorism.
[...]
"The court has reviewed the complaints in their entirety and finds no allegations from which it can infer that the princes knew the charities to which they donated were fronts for al-Qaida," Casey said. "Here, there are no such factual bases presented, there are only conclusions."
The court's opinion, in PDF format, is here.
(Thanks to Jurist.)