Saudi Arabia faces U.S. appeals court hearing over alleged 9/11 support network

On Wednesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan will hear a pivotal dispute over Saudi Arabia’s potential liability in the 9/11 attacks. The panel—Judges Guido Calabresi, William Nardini and Eunice Lee—will listen to both Saudi representatives and lawyers for the victims’ families, who cite a district court finding of “reasonable evidence” that the kingdom operated a support network for the hijackers. Central to the claim is Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi citizen who allegedly assisted two Flight 77 hijackers with housing and was seen in a video scouting the U.S. Capitol.

Saudi officials argue sovereign immunity shields them from U.S. lawsuits, a stance that has angered families such as Terry Strada and Brett Eagleson. The lawsuit, first filed in 2004, alleges that Saudi officials aided extremist operatives who later carried out the attacks that killed 2,977 people. Oral arguments are expected to last roughly 45 minutes, after which the court will issue a written opinion at a later date.