Zacarias Moussaoui, an inmate at a Colorado prison, is shown in this undated police photograph. PHOTO: REUTERS
French citizen Zacarias Moussaoui, dubbed the "20th hijacker," made the revelations in court papers filed in a New York federal court by lawyers for victims of the attacks who accuse Saudi Arabia of supporting al Qaeda.
He said he created a digital database of al Qaeda donors, including members of the royal family such as former intelligence chief Prince Turki al Faisal and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who was Saudi ambassador to United States for 22 years until 2005.
Moussaoui said he met in Afghanistan an official from the Saudi embassy in Washington DC to discuss al Qaeda's plots to attack the United States, and that he was supposed to meet the same man again in Washington for help on a plot to shoot down Air Force One.
He also claimed there were direct dealings between senior Saudi officials and bin Laden, saying he traveled to Saudi Arabia twice to deliver handwritten letters between the al Qaeda mastermind and senior Saudis, including Prince Turki.
The Saudi embassy in Washington DC denied the allegations.
"The September 11 attack has been the most intensely investigated crime in history and the findings show no involvement by the Saudi government or Saudi officials," it said in a statement.
The embassy called Moussaoui "a deranged criminal whose own lawyers presented evidence that he was mentally incompetent," and said his words had no credibility.
Moussaoui, who was found criminally responsible at his trial in 2006, pled guilty to plotting the deadliest terror attacks in US history and is incarcerated at a supermax prison in Colorado.
Across 127 pages of transcript, Moussaoui said the money from wealthy Saudi donors was "crucial" to al Qaeda in the late 1990s.
He talked about donations of two to three million dollars and said top-ranking officials were close to bin Laden through social connections.
COMMENTS (14)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
In those days America had name them ' freedom fighter ' .........
We knew it all the time ....
Remember the $1.5 Billion?
I am not surprised. Certainly Al-Sauds are not knows as bright and smart bunch. The Wahhabism they have been spreading all over the Ummah and beyond using their easy petro-dollar is coming back to eat them. Once the western world’s dependence on easy Arabian oil is reduced the Saudis will be left to defend themselves from the monster they fathered!
False and baseless propagenda against saudi arabia
Totally insane statement I think europi union is getting islam phobia totally baseless allegation
It has been known for quite sometime that Bander bin Sultan had been involved in Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups funding while he was a Bush/Cheney confidant in Washington DC. Al Waleed would be a surprise as he is a material man. He may have paid some protection money, which is not unusual for a lot of wealthy people to pay to the trouble makers. Prince Turki was involved as part of the intelligence services as the intelligence services of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan and CIA were involved in the creation of this monstrosity that now we call ISIS, predecessor of which was Taliban and Al-Qaeda. It is not unusual as Bander bin Sultan is a corrupt man already accused of major bribery scandals in US as well as Britain to the tune of billions. Because the funding for the Taliban/Al-Qaeda was coming from the Saudis and we were providing them Stingers to drop the soviet helicopters in Afghanistan that there could have been a discussion of using it in the US. Saudis are perfectly capable of hatching such a plot and if the price is right, Bander would sell anything to you.
The official Saudi government reserve amount to 893 Billion dollars and a lot more of the country’s wealth are with the thousands of Saudi so called Royalty. They are still busy funding in the Pakistan; and the US wants to train Rebels in Saudi Arabia to fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq?
This is old story; why bother about it now.
Rex Minor.
In 90s ? yeah so whats new ?
Old news discussed ad nauseam when he was arrested. The USA is suspicious of the Saudis funding 911 just as they are suspicious of Pakistan hiding OBL - but suspicion isn't proof and both countries have influential bad apples that don't set govt policy.
Tell me why i am not surprised. World should say "Je Suis Afghanistan".
Why would this be a surprise to anyone?
At least now it becomes clear that one motive of GWB attacking Iraq was to divert attention away from his bosom pals, the Saudis.
How to get away with murder ; Dubb a man "mentally incompenant" and none of his words will matter
But I was told that this whole thing (all this stuff-and-nonsense about 9-11) was nothing more than an Israeli/Mossad 'conspiracy' ... certainly going by 'mainstream public-opinion in Pakistan'...!!! WHY is this publication (I presume it is Pakistani still!!) not highlighting this fact -- even as a foot-note...?