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Saudis detail tracking of terrorists, donations
Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that everyone has both a responsibility for the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 and an obligation to make sure something similar doesn't happen again. "We are all responsible"? Don't bother. It's been done... "It's 'Bash-the-Saudis' time," said Adel al-Jubeir, senior foreign policy adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah. "We are guilty before we say anything." Guilty isn't words; it's deeds... Al-Jubeir was defending his country against accusations by some U.S. lawmakers that charitable donations by a Saudi princess might have wound up going to two of the suicide hijackers â charges that have further strained relations between Riyadh and Washington. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. We know that. You can get it on a tee-shirt from Chris Johnson, if you like. Al-Jubeir said the FBI investigated the money sent by the princess last year and that the agency cleared her of the accusations. A law enforcement source confirmed that the FBI's office in San Diego, California, looked into the matter last year, but the source would not comment on the result of that inquiry. If they've got anything on the ball, they're reviewing what they found at this very moment... The Saudi official made his remarks after the release of a nine-page report outlining what Saudi Arabia has done and what it plans to do in tracking money donated to its citizens by an estimated 300 Saudi
⢠Insistence that charities cannot operate outside of Saudi Arabia without first coordinating with the foreign ministry. ⢠Banning the anonymous transfer of cash out of the kingdom. Hey! He's been reading Rantburg! Audits of some charities have taken place and others are scheduled, al-Jubeir said, adding that the charities are cooperating. So far, "we have not found a direct link between the Saudi charities to a terrorist group," he said. And so far Iraq doesn't have any weapons of mass destruction. They probably haven't found any "direct" links because the witnesses are dead or in hiding. On the other hand... Maybe it's the Third Hand, in fact... If the Soddies are awake to their danger, rather than just rolling over in their sleep, this is the time to start winding down the terror financing for another 25 years or so. Bush has been polite, even while the evidence has been piling up, and if they kill the Clash of Cultures™ now they can save face while we all pretend it never happened. They probably won't be given another opportunity. Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2002-12-03 |
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