About 100 family members of 9/11 victims flooded a lower Manhattan courtroom Wednesday morning — just blocks from Ground Zero — as Saudi Arabia tries to dodge the loved ones’ long-delayed suit alleging the Kingdom aided the Al Qaeda hijackers.
Terry Strada, a tenacious 9/11 widow who blasted the Saudi government last month during the solemn reading of victims’ names on the 25th anniversary of that horrific day — is a lead plaintiff in the civil suit by thousands of victims’ family members, first filed in 2004, alongside Brett Eagleson, whose father, Bruce, was killed on Sept. 11, 2001.
After they hear arguments today from both sides, a panel of three appellate judges will, at a later date, make the historic decision whether Riyadh will have to answer for allegedly providing a network of support for some of the terrorists who carried out the attacks, when they moved to the US on a “martyrdom mission” in early 2000.
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. Lawyers for the Saudi government — which continues to deny playing any role in the murders of 2,977 civilians on America’s darkest day — are expected to rehash claims Wednesday that it is immune from facing trial in a US court because it is a sovereign state.
Follow The Post’s live updates for the latest news from the 9/11 hearing:
Hearing wraps up late, going twice as long as expected
By
Ben Kochman
and
Priscilla DeGregory
The 9/11 hearing wrapped up around 11:30 a.m., about doubling the 45-minute timeframe the oral arguments were slated for.
“Thank you all. It’s a difficult case and we will take it under advisement,” Judge William Nardini said, indicating a written ruling would come at some later date.
A panel of three appellate judges will decide whether the long-delayed case vs. Saudi Arabia brought by thousands of 9/11 victims’ families can proceed to trial.
Lawyer for families of 9/11 victims brings up Saudi ‘spy’
By
Ben Kochman
and
Priscilla DeGregory
Gavin Simpson, the attorney for the families of the victims of 9/11, brought up an alleged Saudi spy during his oral arguments.
The victim families accuse Saudi national Omar al-Bayoumi of arranging lodging in California for the two American Airlines Flight 77 hijackers and coordinating with the Saudi government.
Simpson said the fact that al-Bayoumi had an airline plane sketch with calculations for how to hit the target showed “foreknowledge of the terrorist attacks.”
And Simpson said a lower court judge — who denied the Saudi government’s request to be dismissed from the suit — found that al-Bayoumi “was in fact following Saudi Arabia’s instructions when assisting the hijackers.”
They claim al-Baymoui was a spy for the Kingdom.
Al-Bayoumi, who is believed to live in Saudi Arabia, has denied that he’s a spy.
Lawyer for families of 9/11 victims wraps arguments to courtroom applause
By
Ben Kochman
and
Priscilla DeGregory
Gavin Simpson, the lawyer representing the families of the victims of 9/11, just wrapped up his oral arguments to applause from people sitting in the courtroom gallery.
“Please, this is not a moment for such things,” Judge William Nardini said after some folks clapped.
About 100 people attended the hearing.
Simpson made his arguments for roughly 30 minutes, finishing up around 11:15 a.m.
Another attorney is speaking now.
Retired FDNY firefighter, 9/11 survivor came to give plaintiff families ‘strength their loved ones would have given them’
By
Georgett Roberts
and
Kaydi Pelletier
Retired FDNY firefighter Tim Brown said he came to the hearing this morning “to support the families and give them the strength their loved ones would have given them in situations like this.”
One of several photos of the World Trade Center attacks, their destruction, and the aftermath of the day that were discovered 10 years later in 2011. Many of the recovered negatives/shots were damaged from dust and scratches. Matthew McDermott for NY Post
Brown, whose office was at 7 World Trade Center, managed the command post at the North and South Towers on behalf of then Mayor Giuliani, he told The Post.
The World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, moments before the South Tower collapsed. Charles Wenzelberg/NY PostLawyer for families of 9/11 victims said Saudi gov’t ‘failed’ to prove it should be dismissed from suit
By
Ben Kochman
and
Priscilla DeGregory
Gavin Simpson, a lawyer for the families of the victims of 9/11, began his arguments just after 10:45 a.m.
He said that the Saudi government “failed” to prove that it should be dismissed from the victim suit, claiming the Kingdom was complicit in the terror attacks.
Lawyers for the Kingdom claimed the government was protected by foreign sovereign immunity, but Simpson invoked a 2016 provision — Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) — that amended foreign sovereign immunity laws to allow Americans to sue foreign governments for acts of terrorism.
Simpson said the Saudi government didn’t meet the bar in proving the JASTA exception should apply to them.