« Previous | Main | Next »

Saudi Prince Blames 9/11 on U.S.

November 02, 2007 3:29 PM

Saudiprincebl_mn_2 Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan blamed al Qaeda's Sept. 11 attacks on the United States' failure to consult the kingdom's security authorities in a "serious and credible manner."

"Saudi security was actively following the movements of most of the terrorists with precision," Bandar, the national security advisor to Saudi King told the Arabic satellite network, Al-Arabiya, Thursday.   

"If U.S. security authorities had engaged their Saudi counterparts in a serious and credible manner, in my opinion, we would have avoided what happened," Bandar said. 

Former White House counterterrorism official Dick Clarke dismissed Bandar's statement as untrue.
"The Saudis were uncooperative and did not engage in significant info sharing on al Qaeda prior to 9/11 despite repeated U.S. attempts to engage them," said Clarke.

Another former intelligence official said there is no reason to believe the Saudi government was tracking the 9/11 hijackers.

Almost 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania died in the 9/11 attacks. Fifteen of the 19 suicide hijackers were Saudi nationals who received U.S. visas in Saudi Arabia, according to the 9/11 Commission Report. 

The Saudi Embassy has not responded to ABC News' requests for comment.

November 2, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (47)

User Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

The exact truth about the past matters LESS than the truth about the present. There IS an Islamo-fascist, terror-oriented plan for Islam to rule, or at least make Islamic, the world in toto. Whether from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, connected or not so connected, the west must wake up.

Posted by: Mitch | Nov 4, 2007 11:17:46 PM

The saudis could have been more forthcoming before 9/11,but the "Islamic way is not to tell the Infidel anything" they all want us dead.To tell the truth to a christian or a jew is forbidden by thr Quran,to those islamists lying to us is not a lie,only to another muslim.How could anyone call Islam a great religeon ,when it is a cult of the lowest order.

Posted by: frank gugino | Nov 5, 2007 9:10:29 AM

Sir
Saudi Prince Blames 9/11 on U.S.
Is not right that the 9/11 was transmitted to the CIA and than Mr. Bush was informed of this when he was in school. He did not budge at all at that time then there was the “war drums against the Islamist fundamentalist and the Muslim Religion and Taliban and the terrorists. However, CIA no. They never were blamed. They are always right are they not?
Everywhere there is a cry that Mr. Bush knew about this and like Tsunami, Katrina and the other catastrophes he just ignored the cal. After the event was over, he gave the war drum to march to Iraq on pretext of WMD. Now we know that this too was for oil.
Sir. At the moment, Mr. Bush has made even the Great Britain a small Britain.
I thank you
Firozali A.Mulla MBA PhD

Posted by: Firozali A. Mulla MBA PhD | Nov 5, 2007 9:18:24 AM

If the Prince is being truthful, he should be able to produce the diplomatic communiques that would document warnings.

We know it's bull Prinie-Boy.

GWB,Sr. was toasting Bin Laden's brother at the Washington Ritz-Carlton when the planes hit. Maybe GWB could tell us what the Bin Laden family reaction was when the planes hit.

Posted by: bill | Nov 5, 2007 10:52:44 AM

daddy: You missed the point, but didn't even notice it. It was under Bubba that the intel was not coordinated that Prince is talking about. Bush hardly had time to get much in place before the planes hit here. Bubba had eight years, and did nothing even though the US was hit in NYC, in Kobar Towers, in the African Embassies and in Yemen (USS Cole).

Posted by: TheOldTrooper | Nov 5, 2007 11:58:22 AM

enrique flores and gforehand: You are beacons of sanity in a sea if idiots; keep it up!

Posted by: TheOldTrooper | Nov 5, 2007 12:02:51 PM

What was the first thing built in afghanistan after the US attacked?? remember this is not about oil!!!!

Posted by: AJ | Nov 5, 2007 2:35:04 PM

Yeah.. my son does that too. He blames his little brother for the messes that he makes. Its cute when your young, but annoying when thousands of life depend on it.

Posted by: kilroy was here | Nov 5, 2007 2:43:42 PM

Ignorant people are the main problem. I new about 9/11 before 9/11;How?, I heard a broadcast that the Saudies feared an emmanant attack was brewing in the world of Terrorist aginst the U.S. Education is the only tool to resolve Terrorism and alot of other problems on this planet. let's do our selves a favor and get some. GOT ED!!!....

ISLAM, is PEACE; Terrorist's are Idiots.
don't be an Idiot. GET ED!!!.....

Posted by: Adeeb N. | Nov 6, 2007 12:21:01 AM

Im sorry, but if the government knew about the attacks before they happened and could have stoped them; then the truth needs to get out there somehow. But I dont beleive for a second that they did. Mabey there was information that there was going to be an attack and how. I dont think that we knew where and when. I support the war on terror and I dont think that we should pull out now. I do think that wer could have gone to war earlier than we did, because we knew of terrorist threts before 9/11. But there is no way we could have stoped what happened that day

Posted by: J Ruse | Nov 6, 2007 1:11:16 PM

There are hundreds of credible books written by credible people who were ex-CIA assets, ex-FBI, etc. Most of you just read what you've read in history class. Well behold, most if not all of it is a lie. They don't tell you that the Gulf of Tonkin was actually created by the U.S. to start the war, however you can read this on CIA.gov.

So you seriously need to start finding better sources for your informaton other than corporate or government sponsored publications.

Here is a question for you, if the news does not lie to you, why is it on the BBC you will hear about how Prescott Bush attempted a hostile takeover of the U.S. in '33 however on FOX news you hear how Britney spears "did it again."

No offense, but the ones closer to the truth here are the conspiracy theorists.

It's funny because ALL of the evidence is in front of us but most disregard it out of fear. Face it men. You are all children facing your worst fear...

Do you know how many people are willing to give up their freedom for safety? I'm not. Horrible things happen every day. It's called living in the physical world.

Posted by: Zafada | Nov 7, 2007 2:30:24 PM

I don't believe this administration was behind the 9/11 attacks; however, I do believe they let it happen. There was too much information coming in from multiple sources to be totally ignored.
The attack gave Bush the justification he needed for the already planned invasion of Irag.

Posted by: Fran | Nov 7, 2007 3:35:45 PM

The US knew about Pearl Harbor before it happened too... and we also did not respond until AFTER THE FACT!!! AGAIN it was WORLD WAR!

Did Enron, Halliburton and big oil plant the seeds for our 9/11 response 50 years ago? GOD! They are brilliant *and* patient! Once again, there was also a Bush involved... hmmmm. I bet Halliburton helped rebuild after WWII also - And Cheney was even there! It is so clear now. Come on... given 5 random facts and a bucket of seething hatred, anyone can weave a conspiracy theory.

Posted by: al ala Absurdia | Nov 7, 2007 10:24:13 PM

What is going on? Is this a battle between the Islamo-fascists, and the Christo-fascists. Unfortunately Osama seems to has won. The US defeated the Soviet Union not militarily, but economically. With the trillions spent uselessly in Iraq, the US housing market and the US dollar are collapsing along with the US economy, which is no longer sustainable.

Posted by: John Harding | Nov 7, 2007 11:24:13 PM

I blame Al Gore and Global Warming for the 911 tragedy. Or maybe I should blame the Jews? or the Blacks? or the illegal aliens? Or should I blame the N word and demon rum? It seems to me that something should be blamed for everything that doesnt go quite right.

XM 202 - for the most up to date news.

Posted by: Patti 'O Furniture | Nov 8, 2007 1:07:38 AM

This is a serious statement coming from the Prince who persuaded his uncle, the then King Fahad of Saudi Arabia, of Saddam's (unsubstantiated, using fake satellite photos of supposedly Iraqi tanks poised at the Kuwaiti-Saudi border)imminent plan to attack the western oil fields thus allowing Saudi Arabia to become a base and participant within the coalition of the willing in the Kuwait war.
He was also instrumental and an advocate of the 2nd attack on Iraq in 2003 believing ardently in(or going along with) America's lies including Alqaida's supposed presence there as an excuse.

Why he would make such a comment and be contradited so openly by a senior American official is perplexing. Is there perhaps a mismatch of views between the America-phile Prince and his American friends about what comes next in the way of war?
Let us not forget that America has a short attention span when it comes to friend and foe alike; see what is happening to America's Gen. Musharraf, only a couple of weeks ago he was being lauded asAmerica's greatest ally in the fight against terror and Alqaida and presently America with Britain running behind are openly calling into doubt his actions and credibility. More audacious perhaps is that both are taunting him about the lack of freedom and democracy in Pakistan!!!Hello???


Posted by: Historywatcher | Nov 8, 2007 5:25:43 AM

The Carter Doctrine was a policy proclaimed by President of the United States Jimmy Carter in his State of the Union Address on 23 January 1980, which stated that the United States would use military force if necessary to defend its national interests in the Persian Gulf region.

Posted by: Peter Kro | Nov 8, 2007 9:16:17 AM

Cheney was looking for a reason to invade Iraq. He did not have those secret meetings with those oil men to go into Afghanistan!

Posted by: lyn | Nov 8, 2007 1:28:48 PM

Cheney knew of the attacks in August, but ignored the info for an excuse to ivade Iraq. He held those secret meetings with oil men for the purpose.

Posted by: lyn | Nov 8, 2007 1:32:44 PM

Never mind, you wont use my reply, anyway,I tried several times.

Posted by: lyn | Nov 8, 2007 1:35:12 PM

Post a comment