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Imprisoned Operative Says Saudi Royals Backed al-Qaeda

HeadlineFeb 04, 2015

A jailed former al-Qaeda operative has issued new allegations about ties between al-Qaeda and the royal family of Saudi Arabia. Zacarias Moussaoui volunteered to testify as part of a lawsuit filed against Saudi Arabia by relatives of the victims of 9/11. His testimony, gathered inside a U.S. supermax prison where he is serving a life sentence on terrorism charges, was submitted as part of a legal brief Tuesday. Moussaoui said in the late 1990s he had created a database of al-Qaeda donors, which included then-Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal; longtime Saudi ambassador to the U.S., Prince Bandar bin Sultan, known as Bandar Bush; and top investor Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. He also described meeting with an official who worked for the Saudi Embassy in Washington to discuss a possible plan to shoot down Air Force One. The revelations come just days after President Obama visited Saudi Arabia, where he welcomed the new King Salman.

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