World Trade Center Agency to Sue Saudi Arabia for 9/11 Damages

The agency that owned the World Trade Center on Friday said it will file a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia for damages it suffered on Sept. 11, 2001, noting 84 of its employees were killed in the air attacks that toppled the twin towers. "We also have a responsibility to the millions of people who live and work in the region as well as to our bondholders to pursue every legal avenue to recover the losses we sustained on September 11," the Port Authority said in a statement. Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, declined to say why the agency sought to hold Saudi Arabia responsible or whether it would also sue other entities. The Port Authority, a bi-state agency which leased New York's trademark twin towers in July 2001 to developer Larry Silverstein, noted it was filing the lawsuit just one day before the three-year statute of limitations runs out. "Our proposed action is in line with similar suits filed by other injured parties," the Port Authority said. Its statement did not say how much money it was seeking. [more ]