Ex-Saudi ambassador: Kingdom could have helped U.S. prevent 9/11 [SA was tracking hijackers?]

CNN ^ | Nov 2 2007

[camerakid400]

(CNN) -- Saudi Arabia could have helped the United States prevent al Qaeda's 2001 attacks on New York and Washington if American officials had consulted Saudi authorities in a "credible" way, the kingdom's former ambassador said in a documentary aired Thursday.

Prince Bandar said that Saudi intelligence was "actively following" most of the 9/11 plotters "with precision."

The comments by Prince Bandar bin Sultan are similar to the remarks this week by Saudi King Abdullah that suggested Britain could have prevented the July 2005 train bombings in London if it had heeded warnings from Riyadh.

Speaking to the Arabic satellite network Al-Arabiya on Thursday, Bandar -- now Abdullah's national security adviser -- said Saudi intelligence was "actively following" most of the September 11, 2001, plotters "with precision."

"If U.S. security authorities had engaged their Saudi counterparts in a serious and credible manner, in my opinion, we would have avoided what happened," he said.

[chronic cough 420]

The Saudis are not our enemy, they have every reason in the world to continue to help prop the USD and the US economy. The Saudis have up to 800 billion dollars invested in American interests and that number is only going to rise with their success in the oil business. If the Saudis are part of a conspiracy, it would be to keep the USA in the Middle East for the next 50 years. I’d say mission accomplished...