NEW YORK — Nearly two decades after the worst attack on United States soil, a federal judge has ruled that 24 Saudi Arabian officials can stand for questioning.
That ruling includes Prince Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud. He served as the Saudi ambassador to the US from 1983 to 2005. The plaintiffs believe that the Saudi’s aided the hijackers in the attacks.
"Who was facilitating those hijackers and all roads point to Saudi Arabia," said Brett Eagleson. "I think that setting that story right is going to heal a lot of people."
Eagleson lost his father on September 11th. Nearly 19 years later and the wounds haven't fully healed.
"We had our first daughter we welcomed three months ago," said Eagleson. "She’s going to have to meet her grandfather by going into a museum."
He and other families of 9/11 victims received word of a big win in their pursuit of justice Thursday afternoon. The groundbreaking ruling comes after years of litigation that they say were held up by the federal government. They say the information of the attacks was made classified to preserve relations with the Saudi's. In 2018, they subpoenaed the FBI to release some of that information.
"That has confirmed and corroborated some of the evidence that we have that certain Saudi officials assisted the hijackers when they arrived in the United States," said Andrew Maloney, a liaison counsel to the victim families.
Maloney says he's worked on the case about every day for the last 19 years. He is unsure of when testimony may begin or where. He too has close ties to the day. As a Greenwich volunteer firefighter, he responded after the attacks to help clear the rubble.
"You can’t capture on TV or in photos what it was really like," said Maloney.
The news of the ruling came just a couple of hours before the state's annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Sherwood Island Park. Maloney, Eagleson, and other Connecticut victim families as well as Governor Ned Lamont were in attendance.
On a clear day, you could see lower Manhattan from the park. For a brief bit of time Thursday afternoon, the Freedom tower could be seen off in the distance.
The park served as the base camp for Connecticut's response to aid New York after the attacks. It is where the state holds its annual remembrance ceremony. Two memorials bear the names of all 161 Connecticut lives lost in the attacks. Their names are read aloud.
Two names have been added to the list of victims since the attacks. They are first responders like Payton Decamillo’s Uncle who passed from health complications contracted at Ground Zero.
"I think that’s really amazing to keep his memory alive and I really enjoy that," said Decamillo.
Connecticut State Trooper First Class Walter Greene Jr. and his canine responded in search of people trapped under the rubble. He served the state of Connecticut for 28 years.
"Most people knew that this was a risk, and they were willing to take it," said Maloney.