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Extracted Text (OCR)
IN RE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
799
Cite as 349 F.Supp.2d_ 765 (S.D.N.Y. 2005)
proximate cause, and in tort law, a defen-
dant will be held liable only for those
injuries that might have reasonably been
anticipated as a natural consequence of the
defendant’s actions.” Jd. at 1012. Plain-
tiffs submit the court’s decision in Boum—
that the ATA was designed “to extend
liability to all points along the causal chain
of terrorism’—supports the finding that
Prince Sultan’s and Prince Turki’s conduct
caused the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Id. at 1011.
Plaintiffs exert much effort outlining the
connections between al Qaeda and the De-
fendant charities that Prince Sultan and
Prince Turki supported. Plaintiffs argue
that the indirect nature of the Princes’
contributions to al Qaeda is not fatal to
their claims since they allegedly knew that
funds they donated to the Defendant chari-
ties were being diverted to al Qaeda. See
Bierstein Aff. in Opp. to Prince Sultan’s
Motion to Dismiss, Exs. 1-24. The Court
has reviewed the exhibits on which Plain-
tiffs rely and finds only a handful relate to
Plaintiffs’ arguments.
Exhibit 11 is a report allegedly prepared
for the President of the U.N. Security
Council regarding a Saudi connection to
terror financing. The report mentions
Prince Sultan once in his role as the head
of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs
and does not conclude or suggest that he
had any knowledge that charities to which
he allegedly donated were funneling mon-
ey to al Qaeda.
Exhibit 12 is a statement by the former
French Minister of the Interior in which
he claims to have met with Prince Sultan,
Prince Turki, and other members of the
Saudi Royal family in November 1994 and
to have raised the “question of financial aid
furnished by Saudi charitable organiza-
tions enjoying state support ... to Islam-
ist movements or terrorist groups.” The
only charity he names in his statement is
the World Islamic League, not one of the
charities to which the Princes allegedly
donated.
Exhibits 21-24 are excerpts from The
Muslim World regarding Prince Sultan’s
donations to ITRO and the Joint Saudi
Committee for Relief of Kosovar Refugees
(“JSCR”). There is no indication in these
exhibits that IIRO or JSCR was funneling
donations to al Qaeda. Even construing
these allegations and exhibits in the light
most favorable to Plaintiffs, and drawing
all inferences in their favor, none of these
exhibits amount to admissible evidence
that Prince Sultan or Prince Turki knew
the charities they supported were fronts
for al Qaeda.
Alternatively, Plaintiffs argue that, since
Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda made no
effort to hide their hatred for the United
States, Prince Sultan and Prince Turki had
to have been aware that the United States
was a target, making the atrocities of Sep-
tember 11, 2001 a foreseeable result of
their actions. See, e.g., Bierstein Aff. in
Opp. to Prince Sultan’s Motion to Dismiss,
Exs. 2-10, 14, 15, 18, 20 Gincluding reports
and fatwas summarizing Osama bin Lad-
en’s and al Qaeda’s repeated public threats
to and denouncement of the United
States). There is no question that in the
years leading up to the September 11 at-
tacks, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda were
increasingly vocal in their hatred of the
United States and its interests. The ques-
tion remains, however, whether Plaintiffs
have adequately alleged that Prince Sul-
tan’s and Prince Turki’s specific acts aided
and abetted those terrorists.
Both Prince Sultan and Prince Turki
claim Plaintiffs cannot demonstrate their
alleged tortious activity caused Plaintiffs’
injuries. They argue that Plaintiffs ignore
that Osama bin Laden also targeted the
Saudi Royal family. See, e.g., Bierstein
Aff. in Opp. to Prince Sultan’s Motion to
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| OCR Confidence | 85.0% |
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| Text Length | 3,800 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-04T16:33:15.806303 |