NORFOLK, Va., March 13 (UPI) -- Families of 17 U.S. sailors killed by al-Qaida suicide bombers that struck the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000 are suing Sudan for its role in the attack.
The case was filed in a Norfolk, Va., federal court more than two years ago and opening arguments began Tuesday, the Virginian-Pilot reported. The families are seeking as much as $68 million in punitive damages that would come from Sudanese assets the U.S. government froze.
The suit alleges the Oct. 12, 2000, attack on the destroyer was carried out by two Yemeni terrorists trained in Sudan with government facilitation.
One of the four attorneys representing the families, Andrew Hall of Miami, said the suit was not just about compensation but a tool to fight terrorism.
"If these cases make it prohibitively expensive to a nation, then hopefully that will be the beginning of the end of terrorism," Hall said.
Hall and his team have successfully sued other nations, including Libya, Cuba, Iran and Iraq, for permitting terrorist activity to take place, the newspaper said.
