Adam Schiff: “the NBC Nightly News broadcast a segment in which the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah was quoted as telling Saudi television…”

“the NBC Nightly News broadcast a segment in which the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah was quoted as telling Saudi television that ``Zionists'' were behind May 1 attack on contractors at the Saudi oil facility in Yanbu. That attack killed five westerners, including two Americans. The Crown Prince's remarks were echoed by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef, who said that, ``al Qaeda is backed by Israel and Zionism.'' Prince Abdullah's comments were scurrilous and inflammatory; unfortunately, they are part of a persistent pattern by the Saudi government of saying one thing to the United States and the west and another thing altogether to its own citizens, 15 of whom participated in the September 11 attacks against our Nation. Indeed, the fact that three-quarters of the 9-11 terrorists were Saudis and that their leader, Osama bin Laden, was a member of a family that long enjoyed close ties to the Saudi royal family, should have spurred the Saudi government to immediate action. Instead, Saudi officials engaged in a protracted effort to deny that any of their citizens had been involved in the 9-11 attacks and instead blamed Israel for terrorism. Saudi double-talk has had the effect of undermining the efforts that Kingdom has belatedly made in combating terrorism. In the wake of the May 2003 bombing of the housing compounds in Riyadh, the Saudi government began to take steps to cut off sources of terrorism funding, but much more needs to be done.”