The price of terror

Allan Gerson, the attorney representing the families of 600 people killed on 9/11 in a suit against Saudi Arabian interests and the Sudan, here recounts the landmark case, and his role in it, that made it possible for civilians to sue international and state sponsors of terrorism: The $2.7 billion judgment against Libya for its role in the 1988 terrorist attack that killed 259 people aboard Pan Am 103 and eleven on the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland.On August 15, 2002, families of 600 people killed in the September 11 attacks filed suit in Washington, DC's U.S. District Court against Saudi Arabian banks, charities, members of the Saudi "royal family," and the government of Sudan, seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in damages for alleged Saudi and Sudanese sponsorship of al Qaeda. "Saudi Arabia and others have been involved in a protection racket for many years," said lead attorney Allan Gerson. "The function of the lawsuit is to expose this and to seek damages, not only for its own sake but to serve as a deterrent."