Overview

• In a 45-page opinion, Judge George B. Daniels found subject-matter jurisdiction and said the undisputed record plus preliminary assessments justify moving forward.
• The judge wrote that a reasonable person could infer two identified individuals knew they were aiding the hijackers and were acting on instructions from senior Saudi Embassy officials.
• Plaintiffs’ evidence includes British intelligence materials, such as videotapes of Omar al-Bayoumi touring Washington with Saudi religious officials tied to militants.
• Daniels endorsed plaintiffs’ readings of several exhibits, including an airplane diagram in Bayoumi’s notebook that aviation experts said reflected impact calculations.
• Saudi Arabia denies the allegations, while victims’ families hailed the decision as a step toward accountability as the case heads toward discovery and potential depositions.