RIYADH, 7 October — US authorities are still interrogating 45 Saudi nationals over suspected links to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but none of them has been charged, newspapers reported yesterday.
The deputy information attache at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, Mahmoud Qattan, told Al-Watan that US authorities have allowed 300 Saudis to return home, but asked 45 men to remain for further interrogation.
Qattan said about 6,000 Saudi students live in the United States and the embassy has offered free air tickets to those willing to return to the Kingdom.
Embassy lawyer Mudathar Sidiqi, meanwhile, told Okaz daily that no “direct charges” have been made against any Saudi citizen in the United States in the aftermath of the terror attacks.
He said a majority of those who were detained for questioning encountered problems relating to their residency documents, as some had failed to renew their permits on time.
Thousands of Saudis have complained of harassment and abuse in the United States following the attacks.
A majority of the 19 suspected hijackers whose names and pictures were released by the Federal Bureau of Investi-gations are believed to be Saudis.
Riyadh has strongly condemned the attacks and said that it has received nothing official from the United States about the involvement of Saudis.
