‘Saudi princes planned to down Air Force One with missile’: 9/11 terrorist gives damning testimony
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.
http://rt.com/news/229147-saudi-qaeda-plot-connection/
posted by Satish Sharma at
15:49
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