Lloyd's insurer sues Saudi Arabia for indirectly funding al-Qaeda for '9/11 attacks'

London, Sept 19 (ANI): A Lloyd's insurance syndicate has begun a legal case against Saudi Arabia, accusing the kingdom of indirectly funding al-Qaeda and demanding the repayment of 136 million pounds it paid out to victims of the 9/11 attacks.

The Brighton-based Lloyd's 3500 syndicate, which paid 215 million pounds compensation to companies and individuals involved, has alleged that the oil-rich Middle Eastern superpower bears primary responsibility for the atrocity because al Qaeda was supported by banks and charities acting as "agents and alter egos" for the Saudi state, The Independent reports.

The detailed case, which names a number of prominent Saudi charities and banks including a leading member of the al-Saud royal family, could embarrass the Saudi government that has long denied claims that Osama bin Laden's organisation received official financial and practical support from his native country.

The documents filed in western Pennsylvania, where United Airlines flight 93 crashed on 9/11, suggests that the nine defendants "knowingly" provided resources, including funding, to al-Qaeda in the years before the attack and encouraged anti-Western sentiment that increased support for the terror group.

"Absent the sponsorship of al-Qaeda's material sponsors and supporters, including the defendants named therein, al-Qaeda would not have possessed the capacity to conceive, plan and execute the 11 September attacks. The success of al-Qaeda's agenda, including the 11 September attacks themselves, has been made possible by the lavish sponsorship al-Qa'ida has received from its material sponsors and supporters over more than a decade leading up to 11 September 2001," the legal claim stated.

The documents, which quotes US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks detailing investigations by the US authorities into al-Qaeda, is trying to establish funding links between some Saudi charities and the militant group, and also show the latter's link to the Saudi government that funds through its support of the charities. (ANI)