Saudi Diplomat says they might have helped with 9/11 attackers-before 9/11

Saudi Arabia could have helped the United States prevent al Qaeda's 2001 attacks on New York and Washington if American officials had consulted Saudi authorities in a "credible" way, the kingdom's former ambassador said in a documentary aired Thursday.

The comments by Prince Bandar bin Sultan are similar to the remarks this week by Saudi King Abdullah that suggested Britain could have prevented the July 2005 train bombings in London if it had heeded warnings from Riyadh.

Speaking to the Arabic satellite network Al-Arabiya on Thursday, Bandar -- now Abdullah's national security adviser -- said Saudi intelligence was "actively following" most of the September 11, 2001, plotters "with precision."

"If U.S. security authorities had engaged their Saudi counterparts in a serious and credible manner, in my opinion, we would have avoided what happened," he said.
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A former New York City official pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing millions of government dollars, some of which were intended to help identify victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Natarajan R. Venkataram pleaded guilty to embezzlement, money laundering and conspiracy charges before the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Garcia.

The government is hoping to sentence him to more than 20 years in prison, said Venkataram's lawyer, Alan Seidler.

Along with another employee, Rosa Abreu, Venkataram steered millions of those dollars to fraudulent companies. CNN