Letter to Colin Powell, Secretary of State

September 8, 2003 
The Honorable Colin Powell
Secretary of State
The State Department
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Powell:

I am writing to respectfully request that you pressure Saudi Arabian officials to remove Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz immediately from his position in charge of Saudi efforts to investigate and apprehend terrorists and people who support them.

Despite having taken recent steps to crackdown on terrorists acting within its own borders, the Saudi government still refuses to cooperate with American officials trying to stop terrorist plots against American targets. The most glaring example of such behavior comes from a recent report that said Saudi officials have refused for months to grant American agents access to a Saudi with knowledge of extensive plans to launch a poison gas in New York City's subway system.
Such behavior has been Prince Nayef's hallmark for years. During the 1990s, he single-handedly prevented the trial of 13 Saudis indicted for killing 19 Americans in the bombing of the Khobar Towers by refusing to turn the men over to the United States. His willingness to tolerate and even encourage terrorism outside of Saudi Arabia's borders is also well known.
He oversees the Saudi Committee for the Support of the Al Quds Intifadah, which, like Saddam Hussein, has provided families of Palestinian suicide bombers with millions of dollars through specially designated bank accounts. In addition, last November, Nayef told the Saudi newspaper Ain-Al-Yageen that Zionists were responsible for the 9-11 attacks despite that fact that Saudi Arabia has admitted that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis.

This behavior is simply unacceptable, especially since, according Saudi Foreign Policy Advisor Abdel al-Jubeir, the United States and Saudi Arabia are "in this together" when it comes to combating terrorism. As you well know, a poison gas attack on the New York City subway system would amount to a second 9-11, a possibility too awful to contemplate. Given what is at stake, I think you will agree that we can no longer brook any further resistance from the Saudi government.

Prince Nayef's consistent refusal to grant US officials access to key suspects that have knowledge of past and potential attacks against American targets disqualify him as a partner in the War on Terror. Accordingly, I respectfully request that the United States seek to remove him immediately from his anti-terror responsibilities and encourage the Saudi royal family to select a more cooperative official to serve in that important post.

Sincerely,
Charles Schumer
U.S. Senator