Ahead of the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the House of Representatives gave the green light to a bill that’ll enable families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia “for any role in the terrorist plot,” The New York Times reports.
A 1976 law also comes into question, which gave other countries “broad immunity from American lawsuits,” the NYT points out. But with this recent bill passing, nations could face lawsuits in federal courts if anything links them to playing a role in terrorist attacks on American soil.
House Speaker Paul Ryan also issued a statement on the legislation, saying, “this bill passed overwhelmingly in the US Senate so I think that those concerns have been taken under consideration and members are acting accordingly and that’s why this bill will pass.”
President Barack Obama is reportedly opposed to the bill, and might veto it in the coming weeks. A reason for his apprehension is due to the possibility of other countries taking lawsuit action against the U.S., and severed ties with Saudi Arabia as an ally in the Middle East.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed on Sept. 11, which saw the destruction of the World Trade Center, a large portion of the Pentagon, and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in a field in Pennsylvania. A memorial event will be held tomorrow remembering those fallen family and friends.