With overturn of Obama veto, 9/11 families eager to sue Saudi Arabia over attacks

FILE - In this Sept. 11

FILE - In this Sept. 11

A group of 9/11 survivors and families of terrorism victims is pleased with Wednesday’s veto override by Congress that will allow them to move forward with a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia over the attacks.

New Jersey resident Terry Strada is national chair of 9/11 Families and Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism. Her husband was killed when planes crashed into the World Trade Center 15 years ago.

“I’m raising children in a post 9/11 world, and the people that were responsible for funding the attacks that killed their father have gone without any type of punishment or accountability,” she said. “It’s very important to teach our children this lesson: If you do something wrong, especially if you murder people, you can and will be held accountable.”

The families are anxious to pursue the lawsuit they filed in 2002 now that the legislation allows courts to reject a claim of foreign sovereign immunity when an act of tourism occurs on U.S. soil, Strada said.

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“It’s mostly about getting into a courtroom, having the evidence shown, having a light shine on the nefarious activities of the Saudi Arabian government, and it’s about getting the truth,” she said Thursday. “That’s really what we want more than anything is the truth and accountability.”

President Obama said the legislation allowing the lawsuit to proceed is a dangerous precedent that opens the U.S. to retaliatory litigation and could damage relations with Saudi Arabia.

More than 600 New Jersey residents died in the 9/11 attacks.

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