Terry Strada, whose husband, Tom, was killed in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, told Newsmax on Tuesday the families of victims in the terrorist attacks want nothing more than accountability from Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in supporting the hijackers.
Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families United, told “Finnerty” that a federal judge’s decision last month allowing a lawsuit against the kingdom to proceed was a crucial breakthrough after more than two decades of obstruction.
The lawsuit was filed in 2017 by 1,500 injured survivors and 850 family members of 9/11 victims.
“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia plays very harshly against us, and they work with our government and the FBI to bury the evidence rather than admit what they did,” Strada said.
The lawsuit alleged Saudi officials aided two of the hijackers before the attacks; 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. Strada said the evidence is now strong enough that the Saudis should be pressured to acknowledge their role.
“We’re hoping that this decision will start to pressure them to want to come forward and take responsibility, because you can’t hide from it any longer,” she said. “The evidence has been seen now in a federal court, and a federal judge has ruled that there is credible evidence that their government was heavily involved in Sept. 11.”
Strada criticized successive U.S. administrations, including President Donald Trump’s, for failing to cooperate fully with the families.
“The White House has not ever cooperated with us fully,” she said.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for the declassification of related files but did not follow through completely, she added.
“What really has gone on here has just been so much egregious misconduct on the FBI’s part,” Strada said, citing evidence allegedly withheld from investigators, congressional inquiries, and even the 9/11 Commission.
She said families deserve closure after 24 years of fighting for transparency.
Asked if Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman might be more open than previous Saudi rulers, Strada was doubtful. She said the Saudi government under his leadership has continued to spend heavily to resist litigation and congressional action.
“They were paying $1.3 million a month back then to fight us on legislation,” she said. “So, I don’t see the crown prince breaking yet, but we’re hoping to get a pressure point there at some point and see a change.”
For Strada, the path forward is clear: “It would be great if they would come forward and just take accountability … for what that country did to this country on 9/11.”
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