Does Saudi Money Continue to Fund Al Qaeda?
Nov. 25 -- Amid new allegations that about a dozen prominent Saudi businessmen were financing al Qaeda through international accounts, U.S. lawmakers called for the Bush administration to investigate whether Saudi money made it into the hands of two of the Sept. 11 hijackers.
ABCNEWS has learned that at least 12 Saudi businessmen were financing al Qaeda through accounts in Cyprus, Switzerland and Malaysia, among other countries. U.S. officials told ABCNEWS that a full investigation into the allegations was under way and that there may be criminal charges filed before the end of the year.
The latest revelations followed weekend reports that money from the Saudi royal family was indirectly funneled to the 9/11 hijackers.
In a report published in Newsweek, the magazine alleged that money from an account in the name of Princess Haifa al-Faisal, wife of the Saudi ambassador to Washington, reached the hijackers.
Following the report, U.S. lawmakers have been calling for investigations into the alleged money trail from Saudi bank accounts.
Speaking on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America today, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., promised to "look under every rock" to pursue the allegations "because we believe there's a lotof information there."
Shelby also hinted that U.S.-Saudi relations were especially strained due to the new allegations. "We have, at best, not a great relationship with the Saudis," he said. "It's transactional and we should keep that in mind."
But Saudi officials have denied allegations that the royal family had any connections to the hijackers, dismissing the allegations as "crazy."
Speaking on Good Morning America today, Saudi Foreign Policy Adviser Adel al-Jubeir said his country was cooperating with the United States in the war on terror "like no other country in the world."
"It is unfortunate that some people who should know better are trying to make political hayout of something that is fiction," he said.
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