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Moussaoui, imprisoned in Colorado for his role in the attacks, gave testimony in October to lawyers for 9/11 victims suing the country.
His statement came to light when it was filed in court this week in response to a Saudi bid to drop the lawsuit.
Saudi Arabia has rejected the accusation from a "deranged criminal" with no credibility.
They have made several attempts for the lawsuit to be dropped.
In a rare interview for an inmate at a high security "supermax" prison, Moussaoui said "extremely famous" Saudi officials, including Prince Turki al-Faisal Al Saud, a former Saudi intelligence chief, were funding al-Qaeda from the late 1990s.
He also claimed to have met a Saudi official in Afghanistan who worked in the US embassy.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks
The two men were later supposed to travel to Washington to find a location "suitable to launch a stinger [missile] attack" on Air Force One, Moussaoui said.
His claims, made under oath, have not been verified.
Moussaoui was arrested weeks before the 9/11 attacks on immigrations charges and was in prison at the time of the attacks. He had taken flying lessons in Minnesota and had been wired money by an al-Qaeda affiliate.
In court at his sentencing, Moussaoui said he had been part of a grandiose plot to fly a Boeing 747 into the White House.
But testimony from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - also in US custody - was used by Moussaoui's defence lawyers to undercut his claims during trial.
Families of 9/11 victims allege that Saudi Arabia and a government-affiliated charity knowingly provided funding and other material support to al-Qaeda that helped it carry out the attacks.
Plaintiffs include families of the nearly 3,000 people killed, as well as insurers that covered losses suffered by building owners and businesses.
Its hard to be awesome, when your playing with little plastic men. Welcome to Fantasy 40k
If you think your important, in the great scheme of things. Do the water test.
Put your hands in a bucket of warm water,
then pull them out fast. The size of the hole shows how important you are.
I think we should roll some dice, to see if we should roll some dice, To decide if all this dice rolling is good for the game.
In a way yes. Not the Saudi family mind you (not directly) but there are a lot of really high class radicals in Saudi Arabia, and they provide a lot of funding for a lot of terrorist organizations along with Qatar. All that oil money don't you know.
Part of the problem is Wahhabism , the dominant theological interpretation of Islam in SA, is basically state sponsored. Anti-Intellectualism and aggressive 'evangelism' are long time stables of it. This does not mean all Whhabis are terrorists, but it's a line of thought that seems to often produce very religiously radical individuals. The more radical someone is, the easier it is for them to get pulled into something like a terrorist movement trying to create a new Caliphate.
The Saudi family itself is very anti-terror (in practice). In particular they were never very fond of Bin-Laden and his ilk, since BL and his buddies were constantly plotting how to remove the Saudi's from power.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/02/05 00:57:08
Given the size of the Saudi royal family, aren't the chances that at least one of them had something to do with it kinda obvious? I mean even just be default?
H.B.M.C. wrote: Given the size of the Saudi royal family, aren't the chances that at least one of them had something to do with it kinda obvious? I mean even just be default?
Yeah, but at that point you can't really say the 'Saudi family' is supporting terrorism anymore than you can say the United States government supports gun control.
A member of a body taking an action isn't translatable to the body itself taking action. A Democrat pushing for gun control doesn't translate to the entire US Gov, anymore than a single member of a massive family supporting terrorism translates to the entire family.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/02/05 01:41:17
Waiting for my shill money from Spiral Arm Studios
Yeah, the Saudi royal family is a pretty big group. I'd be shocked if none of them supported terrorism in some fashion, and I imagine any number of other Saudi officials are involved with someone and siphoning some of the money off.
In other news, the sky is blue. Details at 11.
Self-proclaimed evil Cat-person. Dues Ex Felines
Cato Sicarius, after force feeding Captain Ventris a copy of the Codex Astartes for having the audacity to play Deathwatch, chokes to death on his own D-baggery after finding Calgar assembling his new Eldar army.
LordofHats wrote: Yeah, but at that point you can't really say the 'Saudi family' is supporting terrorism anymore than you can say the United States government supports gun control.
That's my point really. When you've got a group so large that one of them is likely to be involved just due to the law of averages it's a little rich to then go and say "Ha! See? They were in on it all along!".
Also a lot of them might have funded an organisation of radical Islam and not known exactly where the money was going.
after all terror plots need to be kept secret.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
I don't think the Saudis deliberately funded 9-11, but I am pretty sure they funded Al Qaida and thus indirectly helped them execute those attacks.
Altough, it would not be so far-fetched to think they knew about or even ordered 9-11. They do have a pretty clear motive for it (getting the US to take out rival Arab regimes for them).
Dropbear Victim wrote: So we've killed and replaced the leaders of the saudi's rival nations how many times and it was them all along? Figures.
And yet their greatest rival, Iran, remains untouched.
Irans too strong, the USA can't touch them at least not directly. America doesn't have the stomach for a long drawn out,very costly war with Iran. It would would be like Iraq+Afghanistan Squared.
LordofHats wrote: In a way yes. Not the Saudi family mind you (not directly) but there are a lot of really high class radicals in Saudi Arabia, and they provide a lot of funding for a lot of terrorist organizations along with Qatar. All that oil money don't you know.
Part of the problem is Wahhabism , the dominant theological interpretation of Islam in SA, is basically state sponsored. Anti-Intellectualism and aggressive 'evangelism' are long time stables of it. This does not mean all Whhabis are terrorists, but it's a line of thought that seems to often produce very religiously radical individuals. The more radical someone is, the easier it is for them to get pulled into something like a terrorist movement trying to create a new Caliphate.
The Saudi family itself is very anti-terror (in practice). In particular they were never very fond of Bin-Laden and his ilk, since BL and his buddies were constantly plotting how to remove the Saudi's from power.????
Ahem " And so, for two days last October, lawyers were permitted for the first time to interview the terrorist at the federal prison – the most secure facility in the federal system, in Florence, Colorado. He gave a damning report that included very prominent members within the royal family, including three princes he says were all Al-Qaeda donors.
The testimony was finalized on Monday.
READ MORE: Co-conspirator of 9/11 attacks says Saudi prince financed operation
The meeting discussing the plan to down Air Force One allegedly took place at the kingdom’s embassy in Washington DC.
This and other meetings allegedly involved some of Saudi Arabia’s top princes and billionaires, including then-Prince Salman – brother to the late King Abdullah and now the King of Saudi Arabia. If Moussaoui’s testimony holds up, the view of Saudi involvement in attacking the United States and its alleged double-dealings could be changed profoundly.
Apparently from 1998 to 1999, Moussaoui was tasked by the Afghan terrorist branch with creating adigital database of Al-Qaeda donors, including Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former chief of Saudi intelligence, as well as others, mostly billionaire businessmen and leading clerics.
“Sheikh Osama wanted to keep a record” of the money flow, Moussaoui’s testimony says, adding that he acted as courier for Bin Laden himself. "
But what would surely be a major blow for the US, Moussaoui also revealed plans to down the president’s Air Force One airplane with a Stinger missile. This was apparently discussed with the Islamic Affairs Department of the Saudi embassy.
“I was supposed to go to Washington and go with [a visiting Saudi official]… in order to find a location where it would be suitable to launch a Stinger attack and then, after, be able to escape,” Moussaoui went on.
His arrest allegedly came on the eve of that scouting trip.
It should be noted that allegations of ties between top Saudi businessmen, the political elite and Al-Qaeda are nothing new. They have been substantiated by evidence in the past. Bin Laden himself was the son of a Saudi construction magnate, and the money trail existed before the 2001 attacks.
At the same time, it’s also known that the Saudi family had collaborated with the US as well to finance Islamic militants, many of whom ended up in what would later become Al-Qaeda. This was during the Soviet campaign in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
It should be noted that the bin Laden family was involved with a lot of construction for the Saudi royal family. Didn't Bush have dinner with them ? or is that just rumour.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/02/05 11:25:20
Its hard to be awesome, when your playing with little plastic men. Welcome to Fantasy 40k
If you think your important, in the great scheme of things. Do the water test.
Put your hands in a bucket of warm water,
then pull them out fast. The size of the hole shows how important you are.
I think we should roll some dice, to see if we should roll some dice, To decide if all this dice rolling is good for the game.
Saudi though might be a little nervous wondering how Yemen is going to turn out
Proud Member of the Infidels of OIF/OEF
No longer defending the US Military or US Gov't. Just going to ""**feed into your fears**"" with Duffel Blog Did not fight my way up on top the food chain to become a Vegan...
Warning: Stupid Allergy
Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend
DE 6700
Harlequin 2500
RIP Muhammad Ali.
Jihadin, Scorched Earth 791. Leader of the Pork Eating Crusader. Alpha
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
Is a completely unreliable source of information and always has been. Honestly the only reason anyone pays any attention to the guy is because he keeps talking (and oh how he loves the attention. The only good way to be a martyr is where everyone can see you martyring yourself after all).
EDIT: To expand on this, there's actually no evidence that Moussaoui was ever supposed to be one of the hijackers. He himself said as much in his trial, and AQ spokespersons confirmed Moussaoui was not part of the 9/11 attack plan (given that AQ took full credit for the attacks, there's no reason to think they were lying in this). It is only after his trial, and life sentence, that Moussaoui has made any claims to be a AQ operative and big wig, and facts tend to lean towards all his claims to this being complete and utter bull gak. Osama even made a video specifically addressing Moussaoui and saying the guy was talking bull gak. And there's every reason to say that Moussaoui doesn't know gak and is just talking out of his ass.
Look though the other Hijackers when you get the chance. While they're all around Moussaoui's age, they were all born in the Mid-East. Moussaoui was born in France.
The 'Pilot Hijackers' Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Hani Hanjour. Marwan al-Shehhi was a member of the Yemen version of the ROTC. Mohamad Atta was a veteran of the wars in Bosnia and Chechnya. Hani Hanjour fought in the Afghanistan Civil War. These were the only hijackers trained to fly planes. Moussaoui does not fit with any of these people. He had no military experience. Further all of these men had been active radicals prior to 1990. Ziad Jarrah, the fourth pilot hijacker, is the only member of this group with no military or combat experience and the only one radicalized after 1990. But unlike Moussaoui (and like Hani Hanjour), Jarrah had a long fascination with flight and planes. He was personally acquainted with Mohamed Atta, which is likely how he became involved in the plot. Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi were originally planned to be pilot hijackers themselves but failed out of flight school (likely why Ziad Jarrah and Hani Hanjour were brought into the plot as a replacement pilots). Both these men were veterans of armed conflicts. There was a clear line of thought in the plan that the pilot hijackers have military experience, and were long time associates and members of AQ, all things Moussaoui is not.
Barring four of the 'Muscle Hijackers' who were long time associates with combat experience, the remaining members of the plot were virtually all picked up out of Cechnya. Moussaoui never attempted to join the war in Chechnya. Further, the plan was built around 4 five man cells*. Nothing in the plan called for a lone Moussaoui to hijack a plan solo and fly it into the White House (it was in fact completely counter to the way the operation was done). There's every reason to believe that whatever he was planning, was actually his plan and his plan alone. Moussaoui does not fit in with these men at all. He doesn't fit the profile of the pilot hijackers (the only ones who likely had any idea what the plan was). All the hijackers were born in the Middle East, while Moussaoui was born in France. As a group, they comprised men with prior associations, experience with Jihadist groups in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Chechnya prior to 2000. Moussaoui's only experience was a training camp in 1998. One he might have even failed out of (he's made a life out of failure). He had no prior associations with any of the other hijackers. The hijackers (save the 6 big wigs who were on a few watch lists already) downplayed their radicalism around their families. Moussaoui was thrown out of his Mosque in Brixton for wearing combat fatigues to services.
Now he just sits in a cell, basking in self-righteousness about what a good Jihadist he is. The reality is, Moussaoui knows zippidy do dah about AQ operations, funding, or planning. He was stooge whose only purpose in the 9/11 plot was to provide a non ME national to help situate the hijackers in the US, and then subsequently tried and failed to be their huckleberry. All evidence says he planned completely on his own (and utterly failed at), assuming that is he even had a plan, and isn't just talking out of his ass about that too. He's the wannabe gangsta rich white boy of terrorism.
Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former chief of Saudi intelligence
While I do not know of the Prince, involvement from Saudi intelligence would not surprise me. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if elements of half the governments in the Mid-East had fingers in the 9/11 soup.
It should be noted that the bin Laden family was involved with a lot of construction for the Saudi royal family
There are 600 members of the Bin Laden family. By your standard we should assume the Bin Laden family hates the Saudi's because Mahrous Bin Laden was involved in a plot to overthrow the Saudi family (and how does that fit in with the "Suadi's plotted with Bin-Ladens to kill Americans conspiracy?").
Families in the Middle East are huge (especially the rich ones). You'll probably find members of nearly every wealthy family in the region in terrorist organizations. It doesn't necessarily mean anything more than that.
This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2015/02/05 18:14:14
Zacarias Moussaoui is not a credible witness at the best of times. However having something to say to be put onto a a deposition is a victory fro him, not matter what the content or its validity.
I remember the taunt that followed him at his sentencing in 2006
Brinkema firmly refused to be interrupted by the 37-year-old defendant as she disputed his claim that his life sentence meant America had lost and he had won.
“Mr. Moussaoui, when this proceeding is over, everyone else in this room will leave to see the sun ... hear the birds ... and they can associate with whomever they want,” she said.
She went on: “You will spend the rest of your life in a supermax prison. It’s absolutely clear who won.”
And she said it was proper he will be kept away from outsiders, unable to speak publicly again.
“Mr. Moussaoui, you came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory,” she said, “but to paraphrase the poet T.S. Eliot, instead you will die with a whimper.”
At that point, Moussaoui tried again to interrupt her, but she raised her voice and spoke over him.
“You will never get a chance to speak again and that’s an appropriate ending.”
Brinkema sentenced Moussaoui to six life terms without the chance of parole.
To Moussaoui, being heard at all is a psychological victory.
n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.
It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion.
Lawmakers to Obama: Declassify remaining pages of 9/11 report
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-resolution/14/cosponsors A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pressuring the White House to declassify 28 pages of the 9/11 Commission Report that have been rumored to detail an investigation into alleged ties between Saudi Arabia and Al-Qaeda.
These pages have been classified since the original report was released during the presidency of George W. Bush, and President Barack Obama has so far declined to declassify them. While it’s unclear exactly what the contents of the documents are, several current and former lawmakers who have read the pages say they illustrate links between the Saudi government and some of the terrorists responsible for attacking the World Trade Center and Pentagon back in 2001.
Although the bill urging President Obama to release the 28 pages – known as House Resolution 14 – was introduced in January after a failed attempt to pass it in 2013, recently released testimony from convicted Al-Qaeda member Zacarias Moussaoui has breathed new life into calls for declassification. In early February, Moussaoui said several members of the Saudi royal family, including three princes, donated money directly to Al-Qaeda.
Questions about the legitimacy of Moussaoui’s testimony persist, but lawmakers are nonetheless calling on President Obama to release what many people believe is the 9/11 Commission’s findings on the alleged links. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), the author of the bill, framed the issue as one of transparency.
“You cannot have trust in your government when your government hides information from you, particularly on something horrific like 9/11,” said Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) to The Hill on Friday.
According to Congress.gov, Jones’ bill has 13 co-sponsors, including 8 Democrats.
Adding pressure on the White House is the fact that former Florida Sen. Bob Graham, who chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee as the 9/11 report was drafted, recently said the remaining 28 pages “point a very strong finger at Saudi Arabia as being the principal financier” of the 9/11 attacks, according to the New York Times.
In 2012, meanwhile, Graham said he was “convinced that there was a direct line between at least some of the terrorists who carried out the September 11 attacks and the government of Saudi Arabia.” The comment was given as a sworn statement as part of a lawsuit against the Saudi government, which was filed by families of 9/11 victims.
President Obama has also reportedly told families of victims of the 9/11 attacks that he supported declassifying the redacted pages. At a February 5 press briefing, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the intelligence community is still reviewing the documents for any potential declassification.
“The administration, in response to a specific congressional request, last year asked the intelligence community to conduct a classification review of that material,” he said. “And we did so in keeping with the standard procedure for determining whether or not it’s appropriate to release classified material.”
Not everyone is convinced the 28 redacted pages are all that interesting. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-C.A.) of the House Intelligence Committee told The Hill that allegations against Saudi Arabia are “unsubstantiated,” but did not dismiss outright the possibility that the section would be made public.
“I have read the 28 pages and the issues raised in those pages were investigated by the 9/11 Commission and found to be unsubstantiated,” he said.
“I believe that at appropriate time in the near future they should be declassified – with any redactions necessary to protect intelligence sources and methods – as this would help demystify the issues raised.”
For its part, Saudi Arabia said back in 2003 that it supports the release of the documents, saying “the idea that the Saudi government funded, organized or even knew about September 11th is malicious and blatantly false.”
“Saudi Arabia has nothing to hide. We can deal with questions in public, but we cannot respond to blank pages.”
Its hard to be awesome, when your playing with little plastic men. Welcome to Fantasy 40k
If you think your important, in the great scheme of things. Do the water test.
Put your hands in a bucket of warm water,
then pull them out fast. The size of the hole shows how important you are.
I think we should roll some dice, to see if we should roll some dice, To decide if all this dice rolling is good for the game.
Little orphans in the snow
With nowhere to call a home
Start their singing, singing
Waiting through the summertime
To thaw your hearts in wintertime
That's why they're singing, singing
Being as a lot of Americans think that.
not sure if serious
Its hard to be awesome, when your playing with little plastic men. Welcome to Fantasy 40k
If you think your important, in the great scheme of things. Do the water test.
Put your hands in a bucket of warm water,
then pull them out fast. The size of the hole shows how important you are.
I think we should roll some dice, to see if we should roll some dice, To decide if all this dice rolling is good for the game.
Pretending to be a tinfoil hatter about 9/11 is too cliche after so many years, you really need to be more creative than that if you want to impress anyone.
There is no such thing as a hobby without politics. "Leave politics at the door" is itself a political statement, an endorsement of the status quo and an attempt to silence dissenting voices.
Pretending to be a tinfoil hatter about 9/11 is too cliche after so many years, you really need to be more creative than that if you want to impress anyone.
Being a tin foil hatter about the age of earth and the existence of dinosaurs always impresses, though nothing ever takes the cake than calling the US govt. spending on anything other than the military socialist.
Manchu - "But so what? The Bible also says the flood destroyed the world. You only need an allegorical boat to tackle an allegorical flood."
Shespits "Anything i see with YOLO has half naked eleventeen year olds Girls. And of course booze and drugs and more half naked elventeen yearolds Girls. O how i wish to YOLO again!"
Rubiksnoob "Next you'll say driving a stick with a Scandinavian supermodel on your lap while ripping a bong impairs your driving. And you know what, I'M NOT GOING TO STOP, YOU FILTHY COMMUNIST"
Iron_Captain wrote: I don't think the Saudis deliberately funded 9-11, but I am pretty sure they funded Al Qaida and thus indirectly helped them execute those attacks.
Altough, it would not be so far-fetched to think they knew about or even ordered 9-11. They do have a pretty clear motive for it (getting the US to take out rival Arab regimes for them).
Nah, we funded bin Laden and al-Qaeda, at least originally. They were our proxy soldiers in Afghanistan fighting the Russians in the 80s. His name first came to the consciousness of the American people during the trial of Col. Oliver North in the Iran-Contra hearings. How quickly we forget...
It is best to be a pessimist. You are usually right and, when you're wrong, you're pleasantly surprised.
Iron_Captain wrote: I don't think the Saudis deliberately funded 9-11, but I am pretty sure they funded Al Qaida and thus indirectly helped them execute those attacks.
Altough, it would not be so far-fetched to think they knew about or even ordered 9-11. They do have a pretty clear motive for it (getting the US to take out rival Arab regimes for them).
Nah, we funded bin Laden and al-Qaeda, at least originally. They were our proxy soldiers in Afghanistan fighting the Russians in the 80s. His name first came to the consciousness of the American people during the trial of Col. Oliver North in the Iran-Contra hearings. How quickly we forget...
The dealing and vetting were never direct with the Mujahadeen, it was through Pakistani military sources to launder the money/weapons flow a bit.
Catachan LIX "Lords Of Destruction" - Put Away
1943-1944 Era 1250 point Großdeutchland Force - Bolt Action
"The best medicine for Wraithlords? Multilasers. The best way to kill an Avatar? Lasguns."
"Time to pour out some liquor for the pinkmisted Harlequins"
In the same way that the Americans funded the IRA terrorism in Northern Ireland.
If the thought of something makes me giggle for longer than 15 seconds, I am to assume that I am not allowed to do it. item 87, skippys list
DC:70S+++G+++M+++B+++I++Pw40k86/f#-D+++++A++++/cWD86R+++++T(D)DM++
Those families are so huge and interconnected that the odds are someone is doing somthing dodgey.
Saudi royal family is giant, in all its extensions, bin lardens are huge Saudi contractors, bin larden was cut off from family at some point.
Add on tribal allies, religious and such links, this becomes a huge mess and the number of links are going up by the thousand to various different places.
Sgt. Vanden - OOC Hey, that was your doing. I didn't choose to fly in the "Dongerprise'.
"May the odds be ever in your favour"
Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
I have no clue how Dakka's moderation work. I expect it involves throwing a lot of d100 and looking at many random tables.
FudgeDumper - It could be that you are just so uncomfortable with the idea of your chapters primarch having his way with a docile tyranid spore cyst, that you must deny they have any feelings at all.
Catachan LIX "Lords Of Destruction" 