U.S.: Saudis Still Filling Al Qaeda's Coffers
From ABC News
Excerpt: Despite six years of promises, U.S. officials say Saudi Arabia continues to look the other way at wealthy individuals identified as sending millions of dollars to al Qaeda.

"If I could somehow snap my fingers and cut off the funding from one country, it would be Saudi Arabia," Stuart Levey, the under secretary of the Treasury in charge of tracking terror financing, told ABC News.

Despite some efforts as a U.S. ally in the war on terror, Levey says Saudi Arabia has dropped the ball. Not one person identified by the United States and the United Nations as a terror financier has been prosecuted by the Saudis, Levey says.

"When the evidence is clear that these individuals have funded terrorist organizations, and knowingly done so, then that should be prosecuted and treated as real terrorism because it is," Levey says.

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Labels: al qaeda, Saudi

Did Osama charter flight out of U.S. after 9/11?
From World Net Daily
Excerpt: ... Judicial Watch said the FBI documents show several chartered flights eventually were authorized during the time frame right after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans, to expedite the return of the Saudi nationals to their homeland. The team of terrorists later was determined to include a majority with Saudi backgrounds.

"The document states: 'ON 9/19/01, A 727 PLANE LEFT LAX, RYAN FLT #441 TO ORLANDO, FL W/ETA (estimated time of arrival) OF 4-5PM. THE PLANE WAS CHARTERED EITHER BY THE SAUDI ARABIAN ROYAL FAMILY OR OSAMA BIN LADEN…THE LA FBI SEARCHED THE PLANE [REDACTED] LUGGAGE, OF WHICH NOTHING UNUSUAL WAS FOUND,'" the Judicial Watch report said. ...

... The papers were obtained after U.S. District Court Judge Richard W. Roberts ordered the FBI to resubmit "proper disclosures" to the court and Judicial Watch, having previously criticized the adequacy of redaction descriptions, the validity of exemption claims, and other errors in the FBI paperwork.

"Incredibly, the FBI had previously redacted Osama bin Laden’s name from the records in order "to protect privacy interests," Judicial Watch said.

"According to [an FBI spokesman], FBI counterterrorism agents pursuing the investigation were stranded all over the country, unable to fly for several days. Yet now the same counterterrorism unit was effectively acting as a chaperone for the Saudis," the report added.
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Labels: bin Laden, Saudi, September 11

Saudi Prince Buys Large Stake of Fox News Stock
From Forbes
Excerpt: The title of this financial romance: Rupert and the prince. The players: The chairman of News Corp. and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The billionaire aristocrat's office on Tuesday announced he upped his stake in the media and entertainment colossus to 5.46% of voting shares...
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Labels: Fox News, media, Saudi

US Eases Saudi Visa Restrictions
From Arab News
Excerpt: "US Ambassador James C. Oberwetter says changes in the US visa process would ease travel between the States and Saudi Arabia..."
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FLASHBACK: US VISA EXPRESS
From the American Embassy in Riyadh
6/25/2001
Excerpt: "Applicants will no longer have to take time off from work, no longer have to wait in long lines under the hot sun and in crowded waiting rooms, and no longer be limited by any time constraints. Effective immediately, ALL APPLICANTS will be expected to use the US VISA EXPRESS service offered by any of the selected companies listed below..."
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Labels: immigration, national security, Saudi