Saudi Crown Prince Defends Kingdom Over 9/11 Attacks During Controversial US Visit

During his controversial visit to the White House, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addressed tensions with 9/11 survivors and families, claiming that Osama bin Laden strategically used Saudi nationals in the attacks to damage US-Saudi relations. While families of victims demanded accountability, the Crown Prince assured Americans that Saudi Arabia is taking significant measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

Bin Laden, a Saudi citizen who founded al-Qaeda, orchestrated four coordinated attacks on September 11, 2001, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths across the United States. The Crown Prince faced challenging questions from reporters regarding both the 9/11 attacks and the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a media address with President Donald Trump following announcements of a civilian nuclear agreement and F-35 jet sales.

Prince Mohammed argued that the 9/11 attacks were specifically designed to harm US-Saudi relations. "I feel painful about the families of my wife and I that live in America. But we must focus on reality. Based on CIA documents, Osama Bin Laden used Saudi people at that event for one main purpose—to destroy this relation, to destroy the American-Saudi relation," he stated. He further suggested that believing Saudi Arabia was complicit effectively furthers bin Laden's objectives.

With President Trump beside him, the Crown Prince emphasized the importance of maintaining strong bilateral ties. "We must prove him wrong and continue to build our relationship," he insisted, describing the partnership as "critical in the safety of the world."

Referring to 9/11 as a "huge mistake," Prince Mohammed assured that Saudi leadership has implemented comprehensive measures to prevent similar incidents. "It's really painful to hear about anyone who has been losing his life for no real purpose or not in a legal way. It's been painful for us in Saudi Arabia. We did all the right steps of investigation in Saudi Arabia, and we've improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that," he explained.

When questioned about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, President Trump defended the Saudi royal, declaring, "He knew nothing about it," despite a 2021 US intelligence assessment that concluded the Crown Prince had authorized the operation. Prince Mohammed described Khashoggi's killing as "painful."

Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi government, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, severely damaging US-Saudi relations. While US intelligence agencies identified Prince Mohammed as the mastermind behind the murder, he continues to deny any involvement in the controversial incident.