Authors: Matthew Levitt
4.
House National Security Committee Staff Report, “Khobar Towers Bombing Incident”; Downing Assessment, 55; Grant, “Khobar Towers,” 46–47.
5.
US Department of Justice, FBI, “Terrorism Charges Have Been Brought against 13 Members of the Pro-Iran Saudi Hizballah,” press release, June 21, 2001. For a discussion
on the analysis of the yield of the explosive, see Lt. Gen. James F. Record, USAF, “Independent Review of the Khobar Towers Bombing,” (Washington, DC: Headquarters US Air Force), October 31, 1996.
6.
US Department of Justice, FBI, “Terrorism Charges against 13 Members”;
Heiser et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran
consolidated with
Campbell et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran
, Memorandum Opinion, United States District, Court for the District of Columbia, December 22, 2006.
7.
Federal Court of Canada, In the Matter of Hani Abd Rahim al-Sayegh.
8.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
., Indictment.
9.
Louis J. Freeh, “Khobar Towers,”
Wall Street Journal
, June 23, 2006.
10.
Federal Court of Canada, In the Matter of Hani Abd Rahim al-Sayegh.
11.
US Department of Justice, FBI, “Terrorism Charges Have Been Brought.”
12.
International Crisis Group, “The Shiite Question in Saudi Arabia,”
Middle East Report
no. 45, September 19, 2005; Human Rights Watch, “Denied Dignity: Systemic Discrimination and Hostility toward Saudi Shia Citizens,” September 3, 2009.
13.
Federal Court of Canada, In the Matter of Hani Abd Rahim al-Sayegh.
14.
Teitelbaum, “Shiites of Saudi Arabia”; International Crisis Group, “Shiite Question in Saudi Arabia”; Matthiesen, “Hizbullah al-Hijaz.”
15.
J. E. Peterson,
Historical Dictionary of Saudi Arabia
, (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2003), 122.
16.
Matthiesen, “Hizbullah al-Hijaz.”
17.
Ibid.
18.
Ibrahim,
Shi’is of Saudi Arabia
, 142.
19.
The government claimed it was an accident, but it was later tied to Saudi Hezbollah. Matthiesen, “Hizbullah al-Hijaz; see also US CIA, “Saudi Diplomat Assassinated.”
20.
Federal Court of Canada, In the Matter of Hani Abd Rahim al-Sayegh, 13.
21.
US CIA, “Iran: Uses of Terror.”
22.
US CIA, “Shootdown of Iran Air 655.”
23.
US CIA, “South Korea [redacted].”
24.
Matthiesen, “Hizbullah al-Hijaz.”
25.
Ibid.
26.
Adel Darwish, “Saudis Overhaul Secret Service after Terrorist Killings,”
Independent
(London), January 14, 1989.
27.
US CIA, “Saudi Diplomat Assassinated.”
28.
Ibid.
29.
Matthiesen, “Hizbullah al-Hijaz.”
30.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
31.
Ibid.
32.
US CIA, “Rafsanjani’s Report Card.”
33.
Marschall,
Iran’s Persian Gulf Policy
, 38.
34.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
35.
Matthiesen, “Hizbullah al-Hijaz.”
36.
See International Crisis Group, “Shiite Question in Saudi Arabia”; Human Rights Watch, “Denied Dignity.”
37.
Matthiesen, “Hizbullah al-Hijaz.” See also Ibrahim,
Shi’is of Saudi Arabia
.
38.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
39.
Ibrahim,
Shi’is of Saudi Arabia
.
40.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
41.
Federal Court of Canada, In the Matter of Hani Abd Rahim al-Sayegh.
42.
US CIA, “Khobar Bombing [redacted].”
43.
Paul A. Blais et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran et al
., United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Civil Action No. 02-285, May 26, 2006, Testimony of Bruce D. Tefft.
44.
Downing Assessment.
45.
US CIA, Memorandum for the DCI, “Iranian Support for International Terrorism.”
46.
US CIA, “Iran and the Radical Palestinians.”
47.
US CIA, “Shootdown of Iran Air 655.”
48.
US CIA, “Attacks against Saudi Interests.”
49.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
50.
Campbell et al. v. The Islamic Republic of Iran
, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Case No. 00-CV-02104, November 25, 2003, Testimony of Patrick Clawson.
51.
Ibid.
52.
Heiser et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran
, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Civil Action nos. 00-2329, 01-2104, December 18, 2003, Testimony of Dale Watson.
53.
Blais et al. v. The Islamic Republic of Iran et al
., Testimony of Bruce Tefft.
54.
FBI Director Louis Freeh underscored this point as well, noting that members of the 4404th Wing risked their lives to enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq “to stop Saddam Hussein from killing his Shiite people.” See Freeh, “Khobar Towers.”
55.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
56.
US Department of Justice, FBI, “International Radical Fundamentalism.”
57.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
58.
Ibid.
59.
Ibid.
60.
Human Rights Watch, “Denied Dignity”; United Nations, High Commissioner for Refugees, Minorities at Risk Project,
Chronology for Shi’is in Bahrain
, 2004.
61.
Campbell et al. v. The Islamic Republic of Iran
, Testimony of Patrick Clawson.
62.
US CIA, “Iranian Surveillance of US Persons and Facilities 1995.”
63.
Clarke,
Against All Enemies
, 113.
64.
Con Coughlin, “Iran Builds Up Network of Terror Schools,”
Daily Telegraph
(London), July 13, 1996; Jack Kelley, “Terrorist Camps Seen in Iran Likely Tied to Saudi Blasts,”
USA Today
, August 2, 1996.
65.
US CIA, “Lebanon’s Hizballah.”
66.
US Department of Defense, “Report of Investigation Concerning the Khobar Towers Bombing.”
67.
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States,
9/11 Commission Report
, released July 22, 2004, 60; Scheuer,
Through Our Enemies’ Eyes
, 141.
68.
“State Dept. Warns Americans to Be Careful in Saudi Arabia,”
Washington Post
, December 10, 1995.
69.
“U.S. Says Americans Threatened in Saudi Arabia,”
Washington Post
, February 1, 1996.
70.
Downing Assessment.
71.
“Iranian Reports on the War in Brief: Saudi Ulema in Qom Call for Uprising against USA,”
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts
, January 24, 1991.
72.
Downing Assessment.
73.
Ibid.
74.
US Department of Defense, “Report of Investigation Concerning the Khobar Towers Bombing”; regarding criticism over how and when commanders made requests of the Saudis, see Record, “Independent Review of the Khobar Towers Bombing,” 9.
75.
Record, “Independent Review of the Khobar Towers Bombing.”
76.
US Department of Defense, “Report of Investigation Concerning the Khobar Towers Bombing.”
77.
Ibid.; Record, “Independent Review of the Khobar Towers Bombing.”
78.
US Department of Defense, “Report of Investigation Concerning the Khobar Towers Bombing.”
79.
Record, “Independent Review of the Khobar Towers Bombing.”
80.
Downing Assessment.
81.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
82.
Ibid.
83.
Ibid. Regarding al-Sayegh obtaining an international driver’s license in Syria, see Federal Court of Canada, In the Matter of Hani Abd Rahim al-Sayegh.
84.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
85.
Ibid.
86.
Ibid.
87.
US CIA, “Khobar Bombing [redacted].”
88.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
89.
Heiser et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran
, Testimony of Louis Freeh.
90.
US CIA, “Khobar Bombing [redacted].”
91.
James Risen, “A Nation Challenged: A Suspect; US Traces Iran’s Ties to Terror through a Lebanese,”
New York Times
, January 17, 2002.
92.
Nicholas Blanford, “Not If, but How,”
NOWLebanon
, February 16, 2008.
93.
Baer,
See No Evil
, 263; US Treasury Department, “Treasury Designates Hizballah Leadership,” press release September 13, 2012.
94.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
95.
US Congress, House, National Security Committee Staff Report, “Khobar Towers Bombing Incident,” August, 14, 1996.
96.
Downing Assessment.
97.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
98.
Ibid.; US Congress, House, National Security Committee Staff Report, “Khobar Towers Bombing Incident.”
99.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
100.
Ibid.
101.
US CIA, “Khobar Bombing [redacted].” The CIA report refers to a shipment of explosives from Lebanon to Saudi Arabia seized in March 1995, though that appears to be a typo that actually references the March 1996 seizure.
102.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
. Regarding the concealment of the bomb in the truck bomb, see
Blais et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran
, Testimony of Bruce Tefft.
103.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
104.
Thomas Friedman, “Stay Tuned,”
New York Times
, March 25, 1997.
105.
Blais et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran et al
., Testimony of Bruce D. Tefft.
106.
Thomas Friedman, “Where Is Jaafar?”;
New York Times
, January 8, 1997.
107.
Elaine Sciolino, “U.S. Rebuffed by Syrians over Bombing,”
New York Times
, March 26, 1997.
108.
Ibid.
109.
Friedman, “Stay Tuned.”
110.
Joshua Teitelbaum, “Holier than Thou: Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Opposition,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy (Washington, DC), 2000, p. 88.
111.
United States of America v. Ahmed Mughassil et al
.
112.
Howard Schneider, “Jailed Saudi Denies Role in Bombing: Suspect in 1996 Attack Says He Was in Syria,”
Washington Post
, March 25, 1997.
113.
US CIA, “Khobar Bombing [redacted].”
114.
Youssef M. Ibrahim, “Saudi Rebels Are Main Suspects in June Bombing of a U.S. Base,”
New York Times
, August 15, 1996.
115.
Atwan,
Secret History of al Qaeda
, 36.
116.
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States,
9/11 Commission Report
, released July 22, 2004, pp. 60–61.
117.
Heiser et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran
, Testimony of Louis Freeh.
118.
Heiser et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran
, Testimony of Dale Watson.
119.
R. Jeffrey Smith, “Saudis Hold 40 Suspects in GI Quarters Bombing; Sources Say Riyadh’s Evidence Suggests Iranian Role,”
Washington Post
, November 1, 1996; Elsa Walsh, “Louis Freeh’s Last Case,”
New Yorker
, May 14, 2001.
120.
Freeh, “Khobar Towers.”
121.
Sciolino, “U.S. Rebuffed by Syrians”; Anthony DePalma, “Canada Links Pro-Iranian Group to Saudi Attack on U.S. Barracks,”
New York Times
, March 28, 1997.
122.
Freeh,
My FBI
, 19.
123.
“Suspect in Khobar Towers Bombing Fights Deportation to Saudi Arabia,”
CNN
, October 5, 1999.
124.
Freeh,
My FBI
, 19.
125.
Statement of Louis J. Freeh,
Joint Investigation into September 11th
, October 8, 2002; see also Freeh,
My FBI
, 30–31.
126.
Walsh, “Louis Freeh’s Last Case.”
127.
US CIA, “Rafsanjani’s Report Card.”
128.
Freeh,
My FBI
, 29.
129.
Heiser et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran
, Testimony of Louis Freeh.
130.
Freeh,
My FBI
, 31.
131.
Amnesty International, “Saudi Arabia: Assaulting Human Rights in the Name of Counter-Terrorism,” July 22, 2009.
132.
“Saudi Militants Are Sentenced in ’96 Bombing,”
New York Times
, June 2, 2002.
133.
Bruce Riedel, “The Clinton Administration,” in Robin Wright, ed.,
The Iran Primer: Power, Politics, and U.S. Policy
(Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace, 2010), 139–42.
134.
US Department of Justice, FBI, “Hizballah: International Terrorism Lebanon, Warning: Inform,” January 28, 1997.
135.
Tenet,
At the Center of the Storm
, 124.
136.
James Risen, “A Nation Challenged: A Suspect; U.S. Traces Iran’s Ties to Terror through a Lebanese,”
New York Times
, January 17, 2002.
137.
US Congress, Senate Committee on Armed Services,
Hearing: United States Central Command and United States Special Operations Command in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2009 and the Future Years Defense Program
, 110th Cong., 2d sess., March 4, 2008, Statement of Admiral William J. Fallon.