WASHINGTON, 22 June — The United States yesterday indicted 13 Saudis and a Lebanese man for the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, accusing parts of the Iranian government of being behind the attack which killed 19 US servicemen and wounded 372 other Americans.
The charges, the first after an intensive five-year investigation, were brought days before the fifth anniversary of the attack in which a powerful truck bomb ripped through a US military housing complex at Alkhobar near Dhahran.
“The indictment explains that elements of the Iranian government inspired, supported and supervised members of Hezbollah” engaged in preparing the attack, Attorney General John Ashcroft said in announcing the charges. The indictment did not name or charge any members of the Iranian government. The United States has long accused Iran’s government of backing international terrorism.
Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, had said last week that the Kingdom had no information about the 13 suspects. He said Saudi Arabia has detained a number of suspects who have admitted their involvement in the bombing.
Tehran has denied any involvement in the Khobar Towers attack, saying such charges are made by people who want to stop development of good relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The defendants, some of whom are still at large, were 13 members of the Hezbollah and a Lebanese man, identified only with the fictitious name “John Doe,” who allegedly helped build the bomb. The charges in the federal grand jury’s 46-count indictment included conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, bombing resulting in death and murder of federal employees.
Those charges could result in the death penalty while some other charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. However, none of the defendants is in US custody and it is unclear if any of them will ever stand trial in this country.
“The indictment alleges that the charged defendants reported their surveillance activities to Iranian officials and were supported and directed in those activities by Iranian officials,” Ashcroft told a news conference. “For five years, the Department of Justice and the FBI have worked to develop the evidence necessary to bring charges in this country against those responsible for this terrible crime. Today, with the return of this indictment, we have reached an important milestone in that ongoing investigation,” he said.
The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in the nearby Virginia suburb of Alexandria, alleged the conspiracy dated back to 1993 and was driven by the motive to expel Americans from Saudi Arabia.
The Khobar Towers bombing was one of a number of attacks on US military forces in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s. One of those charged was Hani Al-Sayegh, a Saudi national who was handed back to Saudi officials by the United States in 1999.
Also yesterday, Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, received a telephone call from US President George W. Bush. They discussed developments in the international arena particularly in the Middle East and bilateral relations.
