RIYADH, 27 October — Twelve Saudi nationals remain under questioning in the United States over alleged links to the Sept. 11 terror attacks, but none of them has been charged, newspapers reported yesterday.
Mudathar Sidiqi, lawyer of the Saudi Embassy in Washington, told Al-Madinah newspaper that the embassy was exerting efforts to secure the release of the Saudi detainees.
More than 100 Saudis have been held across the United States for questioning since the attacks.
Sidiqi said most of them had encountered problems because they had failed to renew residency permits on time.
Al-Madinah also said that a number of Saudi nationals were preparing to file lawsuits in US courts against illegal arrest and detention.
Many Saudis — as well as other Arabs and Muslims — have complained of harassment, discrimination and abuse in the United States following the attacks.
Mahmud Qattan, deputy information attache at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, said earlier this month that about 6,000 Saudi students resided in the United States.
A majority of the 19 suspected hijackers of the aircraft which crashed into New York’s twin towers and the Pentagon outside Washington, whose names and pictures were released by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), are alleged to be Saudis.
Riyadh has strongly condemned the Sept. 11 attacks, while asserting that it has received nothing official from Washington about the involvement of Saudis.
US President George W. Bush told Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, by telephone on Thursday that he was “very pleased” with Riyadh’s help in the war on terrorism.
