<\/p>\n
By Kristen Breitweiser, one of the four 9\/11 widows \u2013 known as the \u201cJersey Girls\u201d \u2013 instrumental in forcing the government to form the 9\/11 Commission to investigate the 2001 attacks. Follow Kristen Breitweiser on Twitter:\u00a0www.twitter.com\/kdbreitweiser<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Road to Damascus Conversion: Derived from the Biblical story of Paul, the term \u201cDamascus road conversion\u201d is commonly used to refer to an abrupt about-face on a serious issue of religion, politics or\u00a0philosophy<\/a>. In this type of change, a single, dramatic event causes a person to become aligned with something he or she previously was against or support a position that he or she previously opposed.\u00a0http:\/\/www.wisegeek.com\/what-is-a-damascus-road-conversion.htm#didyouknowout<\/a><\/p>\n As a 9\/11 widow who has spent the last 17 years fighting for accountability with regard to the 9\/11 attacks that killed my husband and 3,000 others, I find the recent uproar over Jamal Khashoggi\u2019s disappearance and alleged murder interesting and out of character for many of those decrying his disappearance and demanding an investigation and accountability.<\/p>\n Frankly, 9\/11 Family members keep a running list of all those in Washington who have proved by their past actions to be against U.S. victims of terrorism and in support of nations like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a nation with a long history of supporting global Wahhabist terrorism. As victims of terrorism, we are ever vigilant and watchful about all those named on our lists. We follow these folks actions, their speeches, their legislation, because we know that they are never looking out for our best interests as U.S. victims of terrorism. As a group, our institutional memory is broad and long. And we never forget.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why we all happened to notice the uncharacteristic behavior of so many of those on our lists with the advent of Jamal Khasoggi\u2019s disappearance. And it made us wonder why so many people, who had previously always blindly supported the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, were now so vociferously jumping Saudi ship.<\/p>\n What had caused this Road to Damascus conversion?<\/p>\n Take for example those who fought against the release of The 28 Pages of the Joint Inquiry of Congress(JICI) that detailed the Saudi role in the 9\/11 attacks for fear that The 28 Pages public release might harm the Saudi\u2019s reputation and its very special relationship with the United States. A relationship, in large part, based on oil, weapons, money, and shared intelligence operations\u2014things that have little to do with keeping American citizens safe.\u00a0http:\/\/www.hsdl.org\/?view&did=27164<\/a><\/p>\n Regarding The 28 Pages, CIA Director, John Brennan once said, \u201creleasing a classified section of the congressional investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001,\u00a0terrorist<\/a>\u00a0attacks on the United States would be a mistake. A reason to keep them under wraps is they contain \u201cunvetted information\u201d that some could use to unfairly implicate Saudi Arabia in the terror attacks.\u201d\u00a0http:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/national-security\/278313-cia-director-28-pages-contains-inaccurate-information<\/a><\/p>\n Yet, now when faced with the comparatively less significant disappearance and murder of only one man, Khashoggi (not the thousands on 9\/11, the hundreds from Khobar and the Embassy bombings or the 17 U.S. sailors from the Cole), based on far less substantiated and convincing evidence from newspapers(rather than a several hundred page bi-partisan, bi-cameral Congressional Investigation\u2019s Final Report), John Brennan is suddenly moved to hold the Saudis accountable.<\/p>\n On Khashoggi\u2019s disappearance, Brennan had this to say: \u201cIt appears increasingly likely that Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was\u00a0detained and killed<\/a>\u00a0at Saudi Arabia\u2019s consulate in Istanbul. There is still much that we don\u2019t know, but if such an audacious act was carried out, it almost certainly would have required the approval of\u00a0Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman<\/a>. Khashoggi was a particular irritant to the crown prince. Khashoggi was widely known and respected inside and outside the kingdom for his literary talent, political acumen and principled opposition to Mohammed\u2019s increasing authoritarianism and arrogance. The news reports and\u00a0Turkish government accounts<\/a>\u00a0of Khashoggi\u2019s disappearance from the Saudi Consulate, and the contemporaneous arrival of two planeloads of Saudis, have the hallmarks of a professional capture operation or, more ominously, an assassination. As someone who worked closely with the Saudis for many years, and who lived and worked as a U.S. official for five years in Saudi Arabia, I am certain that if such an operation occurred inside a Saudi diplomatic mission against a high-profile journalist working for a U.S.\u00a0newspaper, it would have needed the direct authorization of Saudi Arabia\u2019s top leadership \u2014 the crown prince. I am confident that U.S. intelligence agencies have the capability to determine, with a high degree of certainty, what happened to Khashoggi. If he is found to be dead at the hands of the Saudi government, his demise cannot go unanswered \u2014 by the Trump administration, by Congress or by the world community. Ideally, King Salman would take immediate action against those responsible, but if he doesn\u2019t have the will or the ability, the United States would have to act. That would include immediate sanctions on all Saudis involved; a freeze on U.S. military sales to Saudi Arabia; suspension of all routine intelligence cooperation with Saudi security services; and a U.S.-sponsored U.N.\u00a0Security Council resolution condemning the murder. The message would be clear: The United States will never turn a blind eye to such inhuman behavior, even when carried out by friends, because this is a nation that remains faithful to its values.\u201d<\/p>\n Really, Mr. Brennan? Never turn a blind eye? You turned two blind eyes to the Saudis for nearly 20 years as you defended them and kept the truth of their misdeeds shrouded in secrecy from the 9\/11 families, the Embassy Bombing families, the Khobar Tower families, and the USS Cole families. Cover up is complicity and you have been complicit for 20 years! And now you are worried about inhumane behavior?\u00a0Now<\/em>, you are interested in the United States taking immediate action and imposing sanctions?<\/p>\n For the record, Mr Brennan\u2014>3,000 innocent souls were brutally murdered in cold-blood on 9\/11. Their massacre yielded literally tens of thousands of body parts that were recovered and returned to the victim\u2019s family or unceremoniously incinerated at Ground Zero and\/or hastily dumped in a garbage land-fill in Staten Island.\u00a0http:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/opinion\/9-11-victims-not-left-fresh-kills-dump-families-article-1.307359<\/a>\u00a0 That, John Brennan, is the definition of inhumanity.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, John Brennan is not the only DC insider who\u2019s pulling a road to Damascus conversion in the face of Jamal Khashoggi\u2019s disappearance. As a 9\/11 family member who fought with many other 9\/11 family members to have the right to hold the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia accountable in a court of law by getting legislation called JASTA (Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act) enacted into law, I know far too many people in Washington\u00a0http:\/\/thehill.com\/business-a-lobbying\/business-a-lobbying\/297482-saudis-hire-lobbyists-amid-fight-over-9-11<\/a>\u00a0 more than willing to choose their Saudi \u201cfriends\u201d\u00a0http:\/\/thehill.com\/business-a-lobbying\/business-a-lobbying\/304019-saudi-arabia-continues-expansion-of-k-street-force<\/a>\u00a0instead of helping U.S. victims of terrorism get our day in court for the mass murder of our loved ones.\u00a0http:\/\/28pages.org\/saudi-lobbying-scandal\/<\/a><\/p>\n Chief among those Saudi supporters who threw us under the bus was our Commander in Chief, President Barack Obama and members of his Administration.\u00a0http:\/\/passjasta.org\/2016\/09\/statement-regarding-president-obamas-veto-anti-terrorism-bill-jasta\/<\/a>\u00a0 Obama opposed JASTA from the start.\u00a0http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/international\/archive\/2016\/04\/saudi-arabia-911-bill-congress\/478689\/<\/a>\u00a0 And, when JASTA earned a near unanimous vote by Congress to become law, Obama heartlessly vetoed it. Thankfully, Obama\u2019s veto of JASTA was soundly overridden by Congress who meted out the only veto-override of Barack Obama\u2019s entire 8-year nearly perfect Presidency.\u00a0http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2016\/09\/obama-jasta-228548<\/a>\u00a0And he deserved it. And just for the record, over those 8 years, the families and survivors wrote 5 letters to President Obama asking for a dialogue with him about JASTA, all delivered by members of Congress and all completely ignored by him. President Obama even fought against the release of the 28 pages\u2014delaying their release for years\u2014even though he admitted to never taking the time to read them!<\/p>\n When asked about the victims of terrorism legislation, JASTA, and the rights of the 9\/11 Families to have a path to justice to hold all those who participated in the 9\/11 attacks accountable in a court of law, Obama Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes, said, \u201cwhile the White House was sympathetic to the concerns of 9\/11 families, they objected to the bill\u2019s \u201cprinciple of undermining sovereign immunity.\u201d\u00a0http:\/\/www.buzzfeednews.com\/article\/tasneemnashrulla\/house-vote-9-11-jasta-bill<\/a><\/p>\n In short, to the Obama Administration (who was, at the time, very focused on their Iran Deal and ensuring Saudi silence for that deal), the rights of the 9\/11 families to justice for the mass murder of our loved ones, had to yield to the more noble sounding concept of state sovereignty. Funny, we were all pretty certain that any modicum of state sovereignty pretty much flew out the window on 9\/11 when our homeland\u2014i.e. our sovereign\u2014was attacked by 19 hijackers(15 of whom were Saudi) crashing planes into buildings. Not so, for Rhodes and Obama.<\/p>\n Interestingly though, most recently, Ben Rhodes has said this about Saudi accountability as it pertains to Jamal Khashoggi\u2019s disappearance: we are presently suffering from, \u201cA Fatal Abandonment of American Leadership with the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. And that it drives home the consequences of the Trump administration\u2019s refusal to champion democratic values around the globe.\u201d Rhodes goes on to say, \u201cIt\u2019s not too late to heed Khashoggi\u2019s warnings\u2014to understand that while Saudi Arabia is a historic partner of the United States, our interests are not totally aligned with the Saudi leadership\u2019s, and our values are most definitely not. We should cease all support for the war in Yemen, and lead an effort to address its humanitarian crisis. We should balance our principled opposition to the Iranian regime\u2019s nefarious behavior with a return to the diplomatic agreement that prevents that regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon. We should resume an aggressive transition away from a reliance on fossil fuels. We should support countries like Canada that have been bullied by the Saudis when they spoke out on human-rights issues. We should cease military sales until the truth about Khashoggi\u2019s disappearance comes out, and make clear that our support going forward is not without conditions. And we could once more stand up for universal rights, even if it means inviting the opposition of those who have a very different view of justice.\u201d\u00a0http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/archive\/2018\/10\/jamal-khashoggi-and-us-saudi-relationship\/572905\/<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019d just like to add a few points regarding Ben\u2019s discussion of the \u201cFatal Abandonment of American Leadership\u201d currently underway: First, the Yemen war started under President Obama.\u00a0http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/international\/archive\/2016\/09\/yemen-saudi-arabia-obama-riyadh\/501365\/<\/a>\u00a0Second, any humanitarian crisis created in Yemen was largely ignored under Obama.\u00a0http:\/\/theweek.com\/articles\/625047\/obamas-odious-war-yemen<\/a>\u00a0 Third, military sales to the Saudis under Obama always flourished.\u00a0http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-usa-saudi-security-idUSKCN11D2JQ<\/a>\u00a0And, fourth, regarding standing up for \u201cuniversal rights\u201d and \u201cviews of justice\u201d\u2014Obama should have chosen to stand up with the 9\/11 families by supporting JASTA, rather than stabbing us in the back and vetoing JASTA. Full stop, Ben.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to highlight that, to date, not one person has been held accountable or fully prosecuted by the U.S. government for the mass murder of 3,000 people on 9\/11, the injuries of thousands and the responders, many of whom are sick and dying. That\u2019s why JASTA was so important to the 9\/11 Families and all Americans. And that\u2019s why we had hoped that a former Constitutional Law professor, scholar, and lawyer like President Barack Obama would have supported our efforts as U.S. victims of terrorism.<\/p>\n Notably, 17 years after the 9\/11 attacks, those held at GTMO are still in the\u00a0pre-trial phase<\/em>\u00a0of the military tribunal system.\u00a0http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/03\/15\/opinion\/guantanamo-detainees.html<\/a>\u00a0And, lawyers who participate in the GTMO system privately acknowledge that the detainee cases will likely never make it to the trial phase\u2014due in large part because of the difficulties created by the CIA\u2019s enhanced interrogation(torture) program carried out on the GTMO detainees.\u00a0http:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/03\/05\/guantanamo-trials-abd-al-rahim-al-nashiri\/<\/a><\/p>\n Moreover, not one Department of Justice(DOJ) U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office\u2014even the famous Southern District of NY(SDNY) who can \u201cindict a ham sandwich\u201d\u2014has bothered to file a single indictment against any co-conspirator connected to the 9\/11 attacks. Inexplicably, 3,000 pre-meditated murders took place in downtown Manhattan a few blocks from the SDNY offices and they\u2019ve got nothing to show for themselves when it comes to 9\/11. How is that possible? Or, even acceptable? Where are the newspaper columns, editorials, articles, and op-eds about that outrage?<\/p>\n Of course, President Obama and his advisors were not the only ones fighting against the 9\/11 Families in our plight to hold the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia accountable in a court of law. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was another one of the key members of Congress who chose to side with the Saudis instead of the 9\/11 Families.<\/p>\n Specifically, regarding JASTA and the Saudi role in the 9\/11 attacks, Graham was \u201cnot convinced the Saudi government was culpable even though many of the 9\/11 hijackers were Saudi citizens.\u201dThey want to blame bin Laden,\u201d Graham said about the Saudis. \u201cAll I can say is, from what I can tell, I don\u2019t think the government of Saudi Arabia was involved here.\u201d Graham, who said he\u2019s in close contact with Saudi officials about the issue, warned it could destroy America\u2019s relationship with Saudi Arabia, a critical ally in the tumultuous Middle East. \u201cThis is an odd situation in the sense that 9\/11 families are high on everybody\u2019s list to take care of,\u201d Graham said. \u201cIt comes at a time when Saudi Arabia believes that America is not a reliable ally. It comes at a time when they think they\u2019re being blamed for things they didn\u2019t do. All I\u2019m trying to find is a way to move forward with a legal process that doesn\u2019t destroy the relationship. That\u2019s worth investing some time in.\u201d\u00a0http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2016\/09\/16\/politics\/gop-senators-9-11-lawsuit-bill\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n Now juxtapose that with what Graham has to say after the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi: \u201cI\u2019ve never been more disturbed than I am right now. If this man was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, that would cross every line of normality in the international community.\u201d\u00a0http:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2018\/10\/10\/lindsey-graham-hell-to-pay-if-saudi-arabia-killed-jamal-khashoggi.html<\/a>\u00a0\u201cIf they\u2019re this brazen it shows contempt. Contempt for everything we stand for, contempt for the relationship.\u201d\u00a0http:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2018\/10\/11\/lindsey-graham-channels-john-mccain-over-missing-saudi-journalist.html<\/a><\/p>\n Lindsey Graham has never been more concerned with such \u201cbrazen contempt\u201d put forth by the Saudis in connection to the disappearance of Khashoggi? Apparently, for Lindsey, it wasn\u2019t the 3,000 dead on 9\/11, and fifteen Saudi hijackers flying planes into the Twin Towers and Pentagon that triggered the end of his Saudi love affair. No, it was Jamal Khashoggi getting killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.<\/p>\n What really speaks to the hypocrisy currently underfoot surrounding Khashoggi and the sudden out of character demands for Saudi accountability is the cross-over Congressional signatories found on two separate Senate letters.<\/p>\n First, the Senator Bob Corker \u201cUnintended Consequences\u201d letter written and signed by 28 Senators immediately on the heels of JASTA becoming law.\u00a0http:\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/floor-action\/senate\/298357-senators-eye-changes-to-9-11-bill-after-veto<\/a>\u00a0 The 9\/11 Families considered the Corker letter as a betrayal and an act of bad faith. In short, we believed that those who signed the letter had succumbed to Saudi pressure and thrown us under the bus.<\/p>\n In part, the Corker letter said: We have a great deal of compassion for the families and respect their desire for justice.\u00a0 We understand your purpose in drafting this legislation is to remove obstacles so those who commit or support terrorist acts in the United States face the full range of consequences of the U.S. legal system.\u00a0 However, concerns have been raised regarding potential unintended consequences that may result from this legislation for the national security and foreign policy of the United States.\u00a0We would hope to work with you in a constructive manner to appropriately mitigate those unintended consequences.<\/p>\n Yet, when it comes to Khashoggi, Corker no longer seems to worry about any unintended consequences. Rather, he is seeking very significant and fully-intended consequences. Corker has this to say: \u201cIf it turns out to be what we all think it is today but don\u2019t know, but what we all think it is today, there will have to be significant sanctions placed at the highest levels.\u201d He also said, \u201cIt points to the idea that whatever has happened to him, the Saudis\u2014I mean, they\u2019ve got some explaining to do.\u201d Corker warned that a congressional response to the alleged killing would be \u201ctangible,\u201d adding: \u201cOur relations with Saudi Arabia, at least from the Senate standpoint, are the lowest ever. It\u2019s never been this low.\u201d\u00a0http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/saudi-story-about-journalist-jamal-khashoggi-doesnt-hold-up-says-bob-corker-everything-points-to-murde<\/a><\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, Corker is not alone in his Road to Damascus conversion. Interestingly, nine of the very same Senators who wanted to \u201ctweak\u201d JASTA along with Senator Corker, due to their concerns about the \u201cunintended consequences\u201d of the 9\/11 Families holding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia accountable, now seem to have no problem demanding an investigation and swift accountability for Khashoggi\u2019s disappearance and alleged murder.\u00a0http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/10\/10\/politics\/corker-menendez-letter-trump-saudi-sanctions-jamal-khashoggi\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n In part the Corker Khoshoggi letter states: The recent disappearance of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi suggests that he could be a victim of a gross violation of internationally recognized human rights, which includes \u201ctorture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges and trial, causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those persons, and other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of person.\u201d Therefore, we request that you make a determination on the imposition of sanctions pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act with respect to any foreign person responsible for such a violation related to Mr. Khashoggi. Our expectation is that in making your determination you will consider any relevant information, including with respect to the highest ranking officials in the Government of Saudi Arabia. Under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, the president, upon receipt of a letter from the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, must make a determination and is authorized to impose sanctions with respect to a foreign person responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights violations against individuals who seek to obtain, exercise, defend, or promote human rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression.\u201d<\/p>\n Once again, we have a group of people doing a complete Road to Damascus conversion. These same nine Senators weren\u2019t interested in providing Saudi accountability to the 9\/11 Families, yet now, they are demanding it for Jamal Khashoggi.<\/p>\n Moreover, for years, many of these Senators didn\u2019t seem to care too much about the human rights of the Yemeni citizens getting slaughtered by U.S. bombs and ammunitions. They all seemed ok with signing off on lucrative arms packages-even in the face of report after report after report of human rights atrocities taking place in Yemen and Syria at the hands of the Saudis.\u00a0http:\/\/time.com\/4528393\/yemen-saudi-arabia-strike-wedding\/<\/a>\u00a0The nine Senators who signed both the Khashoggi letter and the JASTA \u201cUnintended Consequences\u201d letter are: Bob Corker, Lindsey Graham, Ben Cardin, Jeff Flake, Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Coons, Jeff Merkely, Mark Udall, and Jim Risch.<\/p>\n Which begs the obvious question: Who was Jamal Khashoggi and why has his disappearance and alleged murder triggered this unprecedented, and out of character response from so many in Washington DC?<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the answer to that question makes the many statements and support currently being given by so many in Washington even more incomprehensible. Because Jamal Khashoggi was no Mother Theresa.<\/p>\n First, let me be crystal clear\u2014>Jamal Khashoggi was not merely a journalist working for the Washington Post.<\/p>\n Additionally, Jamal Khashoggi was not just an outspoken critic of current Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.<\/p>\n Simple research reveals a much more colorful background of Jamal Khashoggi.\u00a0http:\/\/spectator.us\/2018\/10\/jamal-khashoggi\/<\/a><\/p>\n To start, a person should read the Chicago Tribune article from 2004 that talks about Jamal Khashoggi being recruited by Adel Batterjee\u00a0http:\/\/historycommons.org\/entity.jsp?entity=adel_abdul_jalil_batterjee<\/a>\u00a0 in the 1980\u2019s to get the \u201cscoop of a lifetime.\u201d That assignment was to go with Batterjee to Afghanistan and hang-out with the CIA\/Saudi mujahideen fighting against the Soviets. The article is long and very well-researched. I highly suggest you take the time to read it because it details very clearly and specifically why and how Jamal Khashoggi knew so much about al Qaeda, the CIA, the Saudis, and much of the financing, funding, and organizing of Bin Laden that led to the 9\/11 attacks.\u00a0http:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/news\/chi-0402220496feb22-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n Next, I would encourage you to read some of Jamal Khashoggi\u2019s opinion pieces from the Daily Star. Notably, do not read the ones cherry-picked by David Ignatius.\u00a0 Read some of the others that include some fairly fiery words from Khashoggi:\u00a0http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/Opinion\/Commentary\/2002\/Jan-07\/108710-combating-extremism-must-be-for-islams-sake-not-americas.ashx<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/Opinion\/Commentary\/2002\/Jan-15\/108152-examining-the-state-of-the-great-saudi-american-meltdown.ashx<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/Opinion\/Commentary\/2002\/Jan-23\/109014-us-combat-of-terrorist-financing-is-exasperating-the-saudis.ashx<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/Opinion\/Commentary\/2002\/Sep-17\/101910-where-islam-is-concerned-the-world-has-become-colorblind.ashx<\/a>\u00a0 and\u00a0http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/Opinion\/Commentary\/2003\/Feb-22\/110816-why-saudis-are-unruffled-by-us-call-for-reform.ashx<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0http:\/\/www.dailystar.com.lb\/Opinion\/Commentary\/2003\/Jan-27\/109765-bring-back-the-occupation.ashx<\/a><\/p>\n Also, please note that in one of the leading books written about the 9\/11 attacks, Lawrence Wright\u2019s, \u201cThe Looming Tower,\u201d Jamal Khashoggi is portrayed by Wright as a \u201cfriend\u201d of Bin Laden. Khashoggi is not a \u201cjournalist\u201d who reports on bin Laden. Rather he is described as Osama Bin Laden\u2019s friend. And the Bin Laden\/Khashoggi friendship apparently spans more than a decade\u2014from Afghanistan, to Pakistan, to the Sudan.<\/p>\n In addition, also note that Jamal Khashoggi was closely connected to Prince Turki al Faisal. Prince Turki was the head of Saudi intelligence for more than 20 years. Interestingly, he resigned from his post 10 days before 9\/11. Probably more interestingly, Turki is the man who allegedly brokered the deal with Bin Laden back in 1998 where, in exchange for money and support, Bin Laden would not attack the Saudi Royal Family.\u00a0http:\/\/www.freerepublic.com\/focus\/f-news\/563318\/posts<\/a>\u00a0 Some believe that this agreement paved the way for the 9\/11 attacks and various intelligence agencies around the globe \u201clooking the other way\u201d or \u201cturning a blind eye\u201d to al Qaeda\u2019s actions in the lead up to 9\/11.\u00a0http:\/\/historycommons.org\/entity.jsp?entity=turki_bin_faisal_bin_abdul_aziz_al_saud<\/a>\u00a0Notably, Prince Turki al Faisal was also one of the first named defendants in the 9\/11 Families\u2019 litigation.\u00a0http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2003\/mar\/02\/september11.politics<\/a>\u00a0 He was dismissed from the case years ago due to grounds of sovereign immunity.<\/p>\n Moreover, Jamal Khashoggi was also closely connected to Prince Alaweed bin Talal who was held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel last year by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Additionally, reporting also links Talal to the 9\/11 attacks.\u00a0http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/middleeast\/saudiarabia\/11390705\/Saudi-princes-supported-al-Qaeda-before-911-claims-twentieth-hijacker.html<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/02\/05\/world\/middleeast\/pre-9-11-ties-haunt-saudis-as-new-accusations-surface.html<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/features\/2018-03-20\/alwaleed-reveals-secret-deal-struck-to-exit-ritz-after-83-days<\/a><\/p>\n