US Senate passes bill against Saudi sponsors of terrorism

The US Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that would allow American families of victims of attacks committed on US soil to sue foreign states deemed responsible, either directly or by aiding the culprits and their organizations.

The US Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that would allow American families of victims of attacks committed on US soil to sue foreign states deemed responsible, either directly or by aiding the culprits and their organizations.

Sponsored by US Senators John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, and Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act” or JASTA – introduced back in September – does not mention any one government by name, but it has been widely interpreted as a reference to Saudi Arabia and its involvement in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The attacks killed more than 3,000 people, including first responders and passengers aboard the aircrafts that crashed into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.