Saudi Prince Turki accused of facilitating money transfers to Taliban and al Qaeda and supporting charities linked to terrorism

786 Saudi Royal family. Ashton Complaint 1261; Burnett Complaint 1348. Plaintiffs allege Prince Turki facilitated money transfers from wealthy Saudis to the Tali- ban and al Qaeda. Ashton Complaint 1259; Federal 1451. Additionally, the Federal Plaintiffs claim that, while Prince Turki was the head of DGI, Saudi Arabian intelligence officers allegedly trained a member of the al Qaeda Spanish cell in explosives and provided material support to two of the September 11 hijackers. Federal Complaint 1449. The Federal complaint also alleges that Prince Turki made personal contributions to Saudi- based charities that he knew were spon- sors of al Qaeda, including IIRO, MWL, WAMY, BIF, the Saudi High Commission, Saudi Joint Relief Committee for Kosovo and Chechnya (“SJRC”), and Al Hara- main. Federal Complaint 11 451-52. [9] Prince Turki denies the allegations against him in a declaration prepared in concert with his motion to dismiss the D.C. Burnett action. In reviewing this declara- tion, the Court gives “great weight to any extrinsic submissions made by the foreign defendant[ ] regarding the scope of [his] official responsibilities.” Leutwyler, 184 F.Supp.2d at 287 (internal quotation marks omitted). Prince Turki explains that the DGI “is involved in the collection and anal- ysis of foreign intelligence and in carrying out foreign operations.” Decl. of HRH Prince Turki 15, at HRH Prince Turki’s Motion to Dismiss Certain Consolidated Complaints Ex. 1 (hereinafter “Prince Turki Decl.”). He was active in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to combat terrorism gen- erally and the threat posed by Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda specifically, and served on a joint information-sharing com- mittee with the United States beginning in 1997. fd. 196, 10. He states that all of his interactions with Osama bin Laden and the Taliban were part of his official func- 349 FEDERAL SUPPLEMENT, 2d SERIES tions. Jd. 15. In June 1998, King Fahd sent Prince Turki to Kandahar to meet with the Taliban and to relay the official Saudi request that Osama bin Laden be extradited to Saudi Arabia for trial. Id. 111. The Taliban denied the Saudi re- quest and Saudi Arabia subsequently sus- pended diplomatic relations with the Tali- ban in September 1998. Jd. 113. Prince Turki denies facilitating money transfers to Osama bin Laden or al Qaeda, he denies offering material assistance to Osama bin Laden, his representatives, or al Qaeda in return for their not attacking Saudi Ara- bia, he denies promising or providing oil or financial assistance to the Taliban, and de- nies ever hearing of the Syrian financier Mr. Zouaydi, with whom he is alleged to have ties. Jd. 1914, 16, 17. 3. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The Federal Plaintiffs claim that “[mlore than any other factor, al Qaida’s phenome- nal growth and development into a sophis- ticated global terrorist network were made possible by the massive financial, logistical and other support it received from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, members of the Saudi Royal family, and prominent mem- bers of Saudi society.” Federal Complaint 91398. Further, the Federal Plaintiffs al- lege September 11 was “a direct, intended and foreseeable product of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s participation in al Qaida’s jihadist campaign.” Jd. 1425. Specifical- ly, the Kingdom allegedly maintained and controlled several of the charities within al Qaeda’s infrastructure. Id. 1399. The Federal Plaintiffs claim Saudi Arabia knew the threat that these charities posed par- ticularly to the United States, and did nothing to stop it. Jd. 19400-02. The Kingdom allegedly used its relationship with the Taliban to sustain al Qaeda in the mid-1990s. /d. 19408, 407. To the extent the Federal Plaintiffs rely on actions by members of the Saudi Royal family as allegations against the Kingdom, they HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017851