Washington, DC — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud faced intense criticism from 9/11 survivors and families during his visit to the White House on Tuesday, where he defended Saudi Arabia’s position on the 2001 attacks and insisted the kingdom is committed to preventing such tragedies from ever happening again.
The Crown Prince, who met President Donald Trump to discuss defense cooperation and a new civilian nuclear agreement, was confronted by questions about both the 9/11 attacks and the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. His presence in the Oval Office angered survivors’ groups who continue to demand justice and transparency.
Pressed by reporters on the involvement of Saudi nationals in the 9/11 attacks, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud said the tragedy was orchestrated to weaken the long-standing relationship between Washington and Riyadh.
“I feel painful about the families of my wife and I that live in America. But we must focus on reality. Based on CIA documents, Osama Bin Laden used Saudi people at that event for one main purpose—to destroy this relation, to destroy the American-Saudi relation. That’s the purpose of 9-11. So, whoever buys that, that means they are helping Osama bin Laden’s purpose of destroying this relation. He knows that strong relation between America and Saudi Arabia is bad for extremism. It’s bad for terrorism,” said Prince Salman.
The Crown Prince added that the kingdom is determined to strengthen ties, not allow extremists to dictate the future.
“We must prove him wrong and continue to build our relationship. It’s critical in the safety of the world.”
He described the attacks as a painful chapter for Saudi Arabia as well.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud said the kingdom has made major internal changes to ensure such an event “doesn’t happen again.”
“It’s really painful to hear (about) anyone who has been losing his life for, you know, no real purpose or not in a legal way. It’s been painful for us in Saudi Arabia. We did all the right steps of investigation, et cetera, in Saudi Arabia, and we’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that. It’s painful and a huge mistake. We are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
Despite his assurances, many survivors remain unconvinced and continue to demand accountability from the Saudi government.
During the joint address, President Trump grew visibly irritated when a reporter asked about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
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Trump abruptly dismissed the question, saying, “He (Salman) knew nothing about it.”
This statement contradicts the 2021 US intelligence report that concluded the Crown Prince had approved the operation. Mohammed bin Salman himself called the killing “painful” but denied ordering it.
The meeting took place after the US and Saudi Arabia announced progress on a civilian nuclear deal and the sale of F-35 fighter jets, signaling deeper strategic cooperation even as public scrutiny intensifies.
For the 9/11 survivors who gathered outside the White House, however, the Crown Prince’s presence reopened old wounds.
Many said they felt “betrayed” that the US government continues to work so closely with Riyadh without resolving unanswered questions from the past.
As the Crown Prince continues his visit in the United States, the debate over Saudi Arabia’s role in global security and its human rights record remains front and center in Washington.