9/11 Families United Statement on Viral TikTok Videos Praising Osama bin Laden

Washington, D.C. – 9/11 Families United, which represents a community of over 10,000 family members, survivors, and those who were injured in or sickened from the worst terrorist attacks in American history, today issued the following statement regarding pro-terrorist propaganda that has reportedly gone viral on TikTok this week and, according to the New York Post and other media outlets, drawing praise from young users:  

“No American should ever not know Osama bin Laden was a terrorist who helped mastermind the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent Americans on September 11, 2001,” said Terry Strada, National Chair of 9/11 Families United. “These Americans were our husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. It is appalling to witness younger Americans voicing sympathy for bin Laden’s dangerous and antisemitic worldview 22 years after our nation was horrifically attacked and our loved ones were callously murdered by Islamists who were financially supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and at Osama bin Laden’s direction. We strongly encourage these Americans who are not old enough to remember the brutality of 9/11 to seek out reliable sources to educate themselves instead of forming their misguided opinions based on false TikTok videos. We also call on TikTok to stop allowing its platform to be used to promote terrorist propaganda.”

Notably, all of this comes as the 9/11 community’s legal battle for justice and accountability is reaching a critical point in the ongoing federal case against the Kingdom in New York City. Plaintiffs are nearing the point of filing volumes of evidence to oppose Saudi Arabia’s fourth attempt to prevent the Court from considering the merits of Saudi Arabia’s conduct leading up to the attacks. That battle needs to continue without further delay to ensure all the truths surrounding the Kingdom’s culpability for 9/11 will be made public so that we are all better able to protect ourselves from the savagery of terrorism and deter future terrorist attacks. At this very moment, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s high-priced lawyers are aggressively opposing the 9/11 families in federal court to prevent them from using documentary evidence against them that proves their government-paid agents provided the support network that was needed for Osama bin Laden’s 19 Islamist hijackers to plot, train, practice and carry out the deadly attack against the United States. 

“No American should ever forget that Osama bin Laden’s stated goal was to impose the virulent Wahhabi version of Islam promoted by Saudi Arabia on ‘infidels’ and ‘non-believers around the world and here in America.’  The version that treats women as second-class citizens, persecutes homosexuals, kills journalists, and embraces beheadings for minor deviations from the Wahhabi doctrine.  That was his goal with 9/11, and no one should ever forget,” Strada said. 

Recently top Members of Congress have introduced and are seeking to pass the Ensuring Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (EJVTA), which would strengthen and make technical adjustments to the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), enacted in 2016. This legislation has allowed the 9/11 community to move forward with its litigation against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Unfortunately, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton has publicly acknowledged he is blocking the enactment of the EJVTA, and despite strong bipartisan support for the bill, President Biden has yet to weigh in. 

As U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), the lead Republican sponsor of the EJVTA, explained recently:

• “By making minor technical edits, this bill makes sure JASTA works the way it was intended to, reaffirms our commitment to holding sponsors of terrorism accountable, and ensures victims’ families can continue to seek justice against those who perpetrated these horrific acts.” [Click Here For More]

Background:

The Ensuring Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act makes three technical corrections to the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) that will:

• Reaffirm that injured plaintiffs can sue any person or entity, including a foreign state, for aiding and abetting terrorism;
• Ensure that terrorism victims bringing suit under JASTA have a clear mechanism to enforce any judgment they receive against a foreign state; and
• Clarify what Congress has always intended in the ATA and JASTA, that all U.S. citizens injured in their person, business, or property may seek recovery in the U.S. civil justice system from those who commit or aid-and-abet a terrorist attack in the United States.

JASTA was enacted in September of 2016 following an overwhelming show of support in Congress.  That law amended the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) so that foreign states that sponsor terrorism cannot invoke “sovereign immunity” in cases arising from a terrorist attack on American soil. JASTA also amended the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) so that victims can hold liable foreign sponsors of terrorism who commit or aid-and-abet a terrorist attack.  

Since JASTA’s passage, the 9/11 community has been pursuing justice and accountability in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Misinterpretations of JASTA by that court have made EJVTA necessary.

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