Theresa May has rejected an appeal from survivors of the 9/11 attacks to make the UK government’s report into terrorist funding public.
May’s refusal to release the report has been called “shameful” by 9-11 victims.
The battle to force the Tories into publishing their own report into the sources of terrorist funding has been raging for a number of months now.
May’s Tories claim that they can’t publish the report for reasons pertaining to national security and the “volume of personal information” it contains.
Jeremy Corbyn has previously called for the report to be made public, following this year’s spate of terror attacks – a plea which was, of course, flatly rejected by May.
This latest appeal to the UK government was signed by 15 survivors of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre, stating:
The UK now has the unique historic opportunity to stop the killing spree of Wahhabism-inspired terrorists by releasing the UK government’s report on terrorism financing in the UK which, according to media reports, places Saudi Arabia at its centre of culpability
Sharon Premoli, who was on the 80th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Centre when the first Al-Qaeda plane hit, was highly critical of the UK government’s decision, saying:
[The] response did not convey that much would change in the future for one simple reason: the US and the UK continue to protect Saudi Arabia, allowing them to operate freely, with impunity, even supplying them with lethal weapons, as they go about their usual business of inspiring intolerance, committing genocide and human rights violations
Brett Eagleson, whose son was killed on the 17th floor of the South Tower, said that the British government was withholding potentially crucial information:
When the UK government had the opportunity to shed light on the funding of terrorism and had the opportunity to make real inroads on the global fight against terror, they have chosen to take the path of least resistance by putting the cozy relationship with Saudi Arabia before the safety of its owns citizens.
Another justice seeking, grieving relative, Ellen Sarancini, the widow of a pilot on United Airlines Flight 175 which was hijacked after taking off from Boston and flown into the South Tower, said the UK response was the latest in a series of rejections.
For 15 years, we have been blocked by our own government who, along with the UK, continue to protect Saudi Arabia at the expense of their citizens
Adding:
The UK report has the potential for ending terrorism by outing those at the centre of its funding but refuses to do so.
It is well known that fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals. However, the Saudi government has always denied being involved in the attack and has also rejected numerous compensation claims made by relatives of the victims.
May hanging out with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. Image credits: Stefan Rousseau/Pool/Reuters
Survivors and relatives have previously forced the US government into releasing a 28-page secret document that revealed links between high-level Saudi officials and the 9-11 terror attack.
In 2016 USA Today reported:
The 28 pages of newly declassified material from the 9/11 Commission released Friday by Congress show multiple links to associates of Saudi Arabian Prince Bandar, the former longtime ambassador to the United States.
Earlier this year, a lawsuit was filed in New York by families of the 850 people who were killed as well as 1,500 who were injured in the attacks on the World Trade Centre. The lawsuit alleges that the Saudis supported Al-Qaeda in four crucial ways: by supporting government-linked charities that ran training camps; directly funding Osama Bin Laden’s terror group; supporting the hijackers by providing them with passports; and offering on-the-ground support to the hijackers in the 18 months leading up to the attacks.
The Saudis, then filed a motion to have the suit thrown out of court.
The 75-page document concludes by saying:
Saudi Arabia’s motion to dismiss should be granted.
Historian and author of “Secret Affairs: Britain’s Collusion with Radical Islam”, Mark Curtis, recently wrote that Saudi Arabia’s role in promoting Wahhabism has been widely known for many decades.
The British elite is perfectly aware of the insidious role that Saudi Arabia plays in fomenting terrorism
Curtis has previously written about Osama Bin Laden’s London hideout, granted to him by the Brtish government in the mid 90’s, even though they were aware of his terrorist activities.
He also notes how the establishment has previously moved to ensure that strategic ties were not damaged with the Saudis by covering up damaging information.
In 2006, Tony Blair used his power to halt a major criminal investigation into “alleged corruption” by the British arms manufacturer BAE Systems and payments made to Saudi officials involved in the Al-Yamamah arms deal.
The letter from 9/11 survivors to Theresa May does not explicitly mention Saudi Arabia, but said that the report had concluded there are a:
small number of organisations in the UK who receive support, including funding, from overseas.
Adding:
I hope you will appreciate that the review report is classified because of the volume of personal information it contains but also for national security reasons.
As well as the 2,605 US citizens killed in the attacks, 67 British nationals were killed, the second highest figure after US victims.
[VIDEO: THATCHER GIVES JIHADISTS MILLIONS IN “AID”]
The victims deserve justice, just as we, as taxpaying, law-abiding citizens of an allegedly democratic country, have a right to see the report that the Tories are so desperate to keep secret.
What is clear is that Theresa May is once again covering for her Saudi overlords. A shameful decision that comes at the expense of real justice for victims, and the safety of the entire British public.
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