RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States applauded a recent U.S. court decision against indicting top Saudi officials for alleged al-Qaida support.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan welcomed the court decision to throw out a lawsuit against Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz and the kingdom's former intelligence chief filed by families of victims who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the official Saudi al-Watan daily reported.
The ambassador said he hoped that the court decision would set a precedent for similar lawsuits filed against Saudi individuals and institutions.
The majority of the terrorists that hijacked the aircraft that flew into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were Saudi nationals, but Saudi Arabia has consistently denied any links with al-Qaida, headed by Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden.
The oil-rich kingdom has "declared war" on al-Qaida after blaming it for a recent suicide attack against a residential complex in the the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in which 18 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
