‘Bin Laden Wanted To Destroy US-Saudi Ties’: Crown Prince Salman On 9/11 Question At White House

Last Updated:November 19, 2025, 09:34 IST

Saudi Arabia is doing its best not to let it happen again, the Prince assured the Americans, with the survivors still furious over his presence at the Oval Office.

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official dinner in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AFP)

Osama bin Laden used Saudi nationals in the 9/11 attacks to deliberately damage US–Saudi relations, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman insisted at the White House, as families of the victims demanded accountability during his visit. He assured Americans that Saudi Arabia is “doing its best" to ensure such an incident “never happens again," even as survivors expressed anger over his presence at the Oval Office.

The Crown Prince told US media that bin Laden’s objective was to rupture ties between Washington and Riyadh. Responding to questions about the concerns raised by victims’ families, he said Saudi Arabia had taken extensive measures to prevent any repeat of the 2001 attacks.

Reporters also pressed him on Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 plot and the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as he and President Donald Trump addressed the media after unveiling a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement and a deal involving the sale of F-35 fighter jets.

MBS reiterated that the 9/11 conspiracy was designed to undermine US–Saudi relations, arguing that accepting any other interpretation would “serve the very purpose Osama bin Laden intended."

“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," he said.

He added that this was “precisely 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 a strong relation between America and Saudi Arabia is bad for extremism. It’s bad for terrorism," Salman said.

During the gala dinner, President Trump announced that he was designating Saudi Arabia as one of only 20 major non-NATO allies worldwide. “I’m just telling you now for the first time, because they wanted to keep a little secret for tonight," Trump said.

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