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The New York Court of Appeals heard arguments from both lawyers representing families of 9/11 victims and the government of Saudi Arabia regarding whether to allow the case against Saudi Arabia to proceed to trial. The lawsuit alleges that a former Saudi government employee, Omar al-Bayoumi, supported two hijackers involved in the attacks. In August 2025, the Manhattan District Court ruled that the families had provided sufficient evidence under JASTA (Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act) to move forward with the case. However, Saudi Arabia is contesting this decision, arguing it should retain sovereign immunity from prosecution in U.S. courts.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 11, nearly 3,000 people died when hijackers crashed planes into the World Trade Center and other sites. Family members of victims are suing Saudi Arabia for alleged support provided to two of the hijackers. Over 100 family members packed a New York City courtroom as judges heard arguments on whether the case can proceed to trial against Saudi Arabia, which claims sovereign immunity. Despite this, families remain hopeful that justice might be served, citing the intense questioning by judges about Saudi Arabia's involvement. Terry Strada, who lost her husband in the attacks, stated she felt encouraged by the court’s scrutiny and the large turnout of fellow victims' relatives.
Written for “9/11 Families Sue Saudi Arabia” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 64498 · logged 2026-10-08
- Published
The Court of Appeals in New York has heard arguments from both lawyers for families of 9/11 victims and the government of Saudi Arabia as it decides whether the families' long-running legal case against the Middle Eastern country can move to trial.
asserted
case → publish → trial
Almost 3,000 people were killed on 11 September 2001 after hijackers seized four US passenger jets and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field, following resistance from passengers.
asserted
hijackers → kill → passengers
The families allege that a Saudi government employee, Omar al-Bayoumi, knowingly supported two of the hijackers and that he was working with a network of officials linked to the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
asserted
he → allege → Affairs
Bayoumi, who is now retired from government work, has denied knowing the two men were hijackers or that he had any involvement in 9/11, while Saudi Arabia has said that any allegation that it or its officials are complicit in 9/11 is categorically false.
asserted
it → retire → 9/11
The Kingdom has argued that, as a foreign sovereign state, it has immunity from prosecution in US courts.
asserted
it → argue → courts
The families, who first filed the lawsuit in 2002, spent several years lobbying US Congress to pass an amendment to the foreign sovereign immunity law to allow the case to go ahead.
asserted
case → file → law
In 2016, Congress passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which allows civil claims against a foreign state or official for injuries, death, or damages from an act of international terrorism.
uncertain
which → pass → terrorism
In August 2025, the Manhattan District Court ruled that the 9/11 families had presented enough evidence to meet the terms of the act and the case was allowed to proceed towards a trial.
asserted
case → rule → trial
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday asked the Court of Appeals to reverse that decision.
asserted
Arabia → ask → decision
Counsel Gregory Rapawy argued core issues of fact – including the central question of the nature of Bayoumi's employment by the Saudi state – had not been decided and needed to be done so before the country could be stripped of immunity.
uncertain
country → argue → immunity
9/11 families' lawyer Gavin Simpson argued that the District Court had already found that Bayoumi's actions "were not just acts of a good Samaritan or an innocent participant".
asserted
actions → argue → Samaritan
"He was, in fact, following Saudi Arabia's instructions when assisting the hijackers," said Simpson, and that these were points that Saudi Arabia had "failed to rebut."
asserted
Arabia → follow → that
One option the judges seemed to wrestle with was whether to send the case back to the district court to make more concrete findings, which could involve taking testimony from live witnesses.
Asked by Judge Guido Calabresi which witnesses Saudi Arabia could call in that eventuality, Rapawy suggested that if the issue ultimately came down to Bayoumi's credibility, "we would have to see" if he could be called to testify.
uncertain
he → seem → credibility
As he drew the hearing to a close, Judge William Nardini said "it's a difficult case, and we will take it under advisement", meaning that the panel would issue a ruling at a future date.
asserted
panel → draw → date
Speaking outside the courthouse, Terry Strada, whose husband Tom was killed in the World Trade Center, told the BBC she felt positive about the hearing.
asserted
she → speak → hearing
"25 years is an extraordinary time to go without accountability and justice for the murder of your loved one.
asserted
years → go → one
What we hope is that the judges will uphold [District Court] Judge Daniels' decision and move to a trial."
asserted
judges → hope → trial
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