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   NEW YORK — In a stunning lawsuit seeking to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for 9/11, the families of 800 victims have filed a lawsuit accusing the Saudis of complicity in the worst terror attacks on American soil. 
   
   The legal action, filed in federal court in Manhattan, details a scenario of involvement by Saudi officials who are said to have aided some of the hijackers before the attacks. 
   
   Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals and three of them had previously worked for the kingdom. 
   
   The document details how officials from Saudi embassies supported hijackers Salem al-Hazmi and Khalid Al-Mihdhar 18 months before 9/11. 
   
   The officials allegedly helped them find apartments, learn English and obtain credit cards and cash. The documents state that the officials helped them learn how to blend into the American landscape. 
   
   The suit also produces evidence that officials in the Saudi embassy in Germany supported lead hijacker Mohamed Atta. It claims that a Saudi official was in the same hotel in Virginia with several hijackers the night before the attacks. 
   
   Many of the revelations in the lawsuit are culled from findings of an FBI investigation into the terrorist attacks. The suit filed by aviation law firm Kreindler & Kreindler claims some of the hijackers had special markers in their passports, identifying them as al-Qaida sympathizers. 
   
   The lawsuit asserts that the Saudi royals, who for years had been trying to curry favor with fundamentalists to avoid losing power, were aware that funds from Saudi charities were being funneled to al-Qaida. 
   
   Aviation attorney Jim Kreindler told PIX11 News: “The charities were alter egos of the Saudi government.” 
   
   The lawsuit spells out how money was transferred from charities in Saudi Arabia to the terror group. 
   
   Charities the lawsuit claims fronted for al-Qaida include the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, an organization that was designated by the U.S. as a sponsor of terrorism. 
   
   Kreindler maintains that there was a direct link between all the charities and Osama bin Laden and that they operated with the full knowledge of Saudi officials. 
   
   The legal document claims that the Saudis used a variety of means to conceal the money trail to al-Qaida. 
   
   “The Saudis were so duplicitous,” Kreindler said. “They claim to be allies fighting with U.S. against Iran, while at the same time working with the terrorists. There’s no question they had a hand in the 9/11 attacks.” 
   
   Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama had resisted efforts to hold Saudi Arabia accountable. The kingdom is a key ally against Iran, and its oil interests are important to the United States. 
   
   Last September, Congress overrode an Obama veto to pass JASTA — Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act — that would allow Americans to take legal action against countries that support terrorism. 
   
   Kreindler wouldn’t put a dollar figure on the amount of damages being sought by the 800 families of those who died and 1,500 first responders and others who suffered because of the attacks. 
   
   "This lawsuit is a demonstration of the unwavering commitment of the 9/11 families to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its critical role in the 9/11 attacks," Kreindler said. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
   
   / Updated By Alex Johnson 
   
   At least seven lawsuits alleging Saudi government support and funding for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have landed in federal courts in the six months since Congress opened the door to such litigation over the fierce opposition of former President Barack Obama. 
   
   A suit consolidating some of those actions was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, representing the families and estates of about 800 of the 2,996 people killed in the attacks. 
   
   It alleges that the Saudi government helped pay for the operation through its alleged funding of al-Qaeda terrorist camps and its logistical support for the group's transport of weapons, people and money around the world. 
   
   The suit, which doesn't specify damages, alleges that the money and support were channeled through nine Saudi government-supported charities — including the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, part of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. 
   
   Few if any of the allegations, many of which mirror accusations in other lawsuits filed since September, appear to be new, but they add details to the assertions of 9/11 victims' families that elements of the Saudi government, one of the United States' closest allies in the Middle East, secretly backed the attacks. 
   
   For example, the consolidated suit alleges that officials in Saudi embassies helped some of the hijackers find homes and learn English so they could pass unnoticed in the United States. 
   
   It alleges that Saudi authorities even applied a secret code to the passports of al-Qaeda members to facilitate their international travel and that such codes were discovered on the passports of at least three of the 9/11 terrorists. 
   
   The lawsuits began rushing into the courts after Sept. 28, when Congress overrode Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, which provided an exemption to the legal principle of sovereign immunity so families could take the Saudi government to court. 
   
   Firefighters and rescue workers undrape a large U.S. flag near a damaged area of the Pentagon on Sept. 12, 2001. Larry Downing / Reuters 
   
   The Obama administration argued that providing the exemption would set a dangerous precedent, opening the door for other countries and their citizens to haul the United States into court. 
   
   Most of the actions brought since the veto was overridden are on behalf of families of victims of the attack on the World Trade Center. One was brought by insurance companies seeking to recoup some of their losses. 
   
   On Friday, a U.S. magistrate judge in Manhattan ordered lawyers for the plaintiffs and for Saudi Arabia to appear in court this Thursday to try to work out a way to coordinate the various cases. 
   
   A representative for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could not be reached for comment on Monday evening. Country officials in the past have said they cannot comment on pending legislation. ||||| Senate Committee Any Committee Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (70th-116th) Armed Services (79th-116th) Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (70th-116th) Budget (93rd-116th) Commerce, Science, and Transportation (79th-116th) Energy and Natural Resources (70th-116th) Environment and Public Works (79th-116th) Finance (70th-116th) Foreign Relations (70th-116th) Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (70th-116th) Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (70th-116th) Judiciary (70th-116th) Rules and Administration (79th-116th) Small Business and Entrepreneurship (81st-116th) Veterans' Affairs (91st-116th) 
   
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   Nomination Actions Any Nomination Action Placed on calendar as privileged nomination Committee requested information was received Referred to committee Hearings held Ordered reported Reported to Senate Committee discharged Placed on calendar Placed on calendar with footnote Considered by Senate Unanimous consent agreement Cloture motion Cloture invoked/not invoked Rereferred to committee Received message of withdrawal Returned to president Confirmed by Senate ||||| CLOSE The lawsuit, brought in the federal court that covers lower Manhattan, is years in the making. USA TODAY 
   
   Lucy Smith, 6, and her brother Ryan, 2, of New Jersey look at the name of their uncle, Port Authority Police Officer Chris Amoroso, who was killed in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center during a memorial service for the attacks at Ground Zero. (Photo: Seth Harrison, The Journal News, via USA TODAY NETWORK) 
   
   A lawsuit filed Monday in federal court on behalf of the families of 850 people who died and another 1,500 who were injured in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the U.S. holds the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia responsible for helping some of the attackers. 
   
   The suit filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan, is being handled by Kreindler & Kreindler in New York City, an aviation law firm that has been working with the families for the last 16 years. 
   
   The claim seeks unspecified monetary damages. 
   
   "This lawsuit demonstrates ... the families are never going to give up until we establish that Saudi Arabia is accountable," said lawyer Jim Kreindler. 
   
   The suit, which will be heard by U.S. District Judge George Daniels, alleges Saudi Arabia supported al-Qaeda in four ways, Kreindler told USA TODAY. 
   
   Read more: 
   
   The suit names several Saudi Arabian charities that were "alter egos of the government" that were staffed by the government, that ran terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and "the whole world knows they were dirty," Kreindler said. The charities worked with late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to open offices in Pakistan and Afghanistan and establish the terrorist organization, the suit alleges. 
   
   The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia directly funded al-Qaeda, the lawyer said. Saudi Arabia supported the terrorists by supplying assistance such as passports and worldwide transportation, he said. 
   
   And finally, the suit identifies Saudi officials who worked with the hijackers in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sarasota, Fla., Washington, D.C., and Virginia in the 18 months leading up to the attacks, Kreindler said. 
   
   In September, Congress passed a measure allowing countries to be sued in terrorism cases even when the alleged act or acts take place outside of the United States — the Justice Against State Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) — which enables the suit to go forward. 
   
   Another lawyer working with the plaintiffs said the families he represents are grateful to Congress and to President Trump, who has backed their efforts. 
   
   "We just hope President Trump continues," Andrew Maloney said. "I would like to hear some continued expressions of support by the president." 
   
   Michael Kellogg, a Washington-based lawyer representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, did not respond to a message left at his office Monday evening. 
   
   CLOSE The White House blasted what it called "rapid onset buyer's remorse" after House and Senate leaders conceded problems with the 9/11 lawsuit bill Congress just enacted into law over President Obama's veto. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., suggested that the House might take up a bill to fix problems with the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, after it comes back from its election recess. USA TODAY 
   
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target: – A lawsuit representing the families and estates of about 800 victims of 9/11 has been filed in Manhattan federal court, with the Saudi Arabian government in its sights, WPIX and NBC News report. Of the 19 plane hijackers that day, 15 were Saudi nationals, and three of those reportedly had employment history with the government there. Accusations in the newest consolidated complaint, compiled in large part via an FBI investigation, include embassy officials being instrumental in assimilating some of the 9/11 attackers into the US via English instruction, funding assistance, and help in finding a place to live. Saudi authorities also allegedly offered special passport codes to a handful of the terrorists that smoothed their way into the US. The suit also says Saudi royals turned a blind eye regarding money they donated to certain "charities," which was really being shifted to al-Qaeda. "The Saudis were so duplicitous," aviation attorney Jim Kreindler tells WPIX, noting while Saudi Arabia was putting up a good front as a US ally, it was secretly enabling terrorism. (USA Today notes Kreindler's law firm is handling the new suit, which is seeking unspecified monetary damages.) Per NBC, more than a half-dozen lawsuits against the Saudi government have filtered into federal court since September, when Congress rejected then-President Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which gave families of 9/11 victims a way to circumvent sovereign immunity to sue the Saudis. Obama was against JASTA, saying the tables could be turned so other nations can file suit against the US. Attorneys for families and the Saudis are to appear in court Thursday to hammer out the multi-case logistics. (The Saudis obviously don't like JASTA.)