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Convicted by a US court - how could he possibly be speaking the truth? lol
‘Saudi
princes planned to down Air Force One with missile’: 9/11 terrorist
gives damning testimony
RT,
4
February, 2015
A
former Al-Qaeda member has revealed a strong connection between the
terrorist group and the Saudi Royal family in the 1990s. More
notably, he alleges that Saudi princes and terrorists discussed a
plan to shoot Air Force One out of the sky.
The
revelations came in the form of a testimony, delivered from a
maximum-security prison, where Zacarias Moussaoui is incarcerated.
According
to the New York Times, Moussaoui submitted the claim on his own
initiative. He sent a letter to the judge presiding over the lawsuit
filed by family members of 9/11 victims against the government of
Saudi Arabia.
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.
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 a digital 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.
NY
Times also recounts Moussaoui describing in detail the training he
received in the camps, as well as a trial run of a 750-kg bomb that
was to be used on the American embassy in London – and later the
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
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.
There
were attempts in 2006 to present the terrorist as insane, due to some
instances of erratic behavior, but that didn’t fly with the judge,
despite a psychologist’s diagnosis. And so he was deemed fit to
stand trial.
In
fact, “he has actually a better understanding of the legal system
than some lawyers I’ve seen in court,”Judge Leonie M. Brinkema
said at the time. She also called him “an extremely intelligent
man” and said she was “fully satisfied” with his mental state.
The
Saudis didn’t take kindly to the possible impact these revelations
could have. Judgment on Moussaoui’s mental health is what could
make or break the credibility of his testimony. And when submitting
it on Monday, there were no indications whatsoever that the 9/11
attacker was not of sound mind.
According
to NY Times, on the same day, the Saudi embassy referred to how the
September 11 commission flatly rejected the possibility of such a
relationship, pointing to how “Moussaoui
is a deranged criminal whose own lawyers presented evidence that he
was mentally incompetent.” They
were alluding to his earlier mental diagnosis.
“My
impression was that he was of completely sound mind — focused and
thoughtful,” said
a Philadelphia lawyer questioning him.
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.
This
is not the most convenient time for Moussaoui’s allegations to
surface. It has only been two weeks since the death of King Abdullah,
succeeded by King Salman – his brother – who Moussaoui had also
allegedly been involved with.
President
Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry visited the kingdom
recently, signaling the strong ties that exist between the two
countries.
The
world at large continues to blast Saudi Arabia and its international
partners for the atrocious human rights situation that still persists
there. There have already been four
executions in
the weeks since Obama’s new friend King Salman acceded to the
throne
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