9/11 lawsuits bill causes Saudi Arabia 'great concern'

Thousands of people died on 11 September 2001 in the largest terror attack ever on US soil

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry has said it is a matter of "great concern" that 9/11 relatives in the US may be able to sue the kingdom for damages.

On Wednesday the US Congress voted for a law allowing families of nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks to sue. In doing so they overrode a veto by President Barack Obama, who said it would set a "dangerous precedent".


Fifteen of the 19 hijackers that day were Saudi nationals, but the kingdom has denied any role in the attacks.

In a statement, the country's foreign ministry said: "The erosion of sovereign immunity will have a negative impact on all nations, including the United States."

The 9/11 bill row, explained

Their argument parallels the one made by Mr Obama. He said on CNN after the vote that the law set a "dangerous precedent" and could lead to the US being opened to "a situation where we're suddenly exposed to liabilities for all the work that we're doing all around the world and suddenly finding ourselves subject to private lawsuits".