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834 349 FEDERAL SUPPLEMENT, 2d SERIES

dant Dallah Al Baraka Group, which is chaired by Defendant Saleh Abdullah Kamel. Saudi American Bank is close to the Saudi Bin Laden family, . . . appears on its financial transactions” and provides banking services to its Sudanese operations. Ashton Complaint ¶¶ 607–8; Burnett Complaint ¶¶ 144, 146.

“In the year 2000, the Saudi American Bank participated in the fundraising campaign in Saudi Arabia for collecting donations to the ‘heroes of the Al Quds uprising’ (Intifada) by providing a bank account and facilities to receive donations for a committee of charity organizations including Defendants WAMY, IIRO and Al Haramain Foundation.” Ashton Complaint ¶ 609; Burnett Complaint ¶ 147.

The essence of Plaintiffs’ claim is that through its relationships with other banks and support of the Saudi Binladin group’s work in Sudan, Saudi American Bank provided material support to al Qaeda. It is not alleged to have done anything to directly support al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, or their terrorist agenda. As the Court has stated before, there can be no bank liability for injuries caused by money routinely passing through the bank. Saudi American Bank is not alleged to have known that anything relating to terrorism was occurring through the services it provided. The Ashton Plaintiffs have dismissed their claims against Ahmed Nur Ali Jumale, allegedly an associate of Osama bin Laden. To the extent the Burnett Plaintiffs continue their claims against him, his employment at Saudi American Bank from 1979 to 1986 cannot be grounds for relief. Osama bin Laden did not organize al Qaeda until the late 1980s, Saudi American Bank is not alleged to have provided Jumale with a veil of legitimacy or shelter. Cf. Burnett I, 274 F.Supp.2d at 104 (finding Al Haramain’s employment of al Qaeda operative during height of al

Qaeda activity a sufficient allegation of providing material support). The complaints have provided Saudi American Bank with no notice of Plaintiffs’ claims or grounds for relief. Accordingly, Saudi American Bank’s motions to dismiss the Ashton and Burnett complaints are granted in their entirety.

3. Arab Bank

[97] The Federal Plaintiffs claim Arab Bank is a financial institution headquartered in Egypt with branch offices throughout the world, including New York. Federal Complaint ¶ 357. Arab Bank claims it is actually a Jordanian bank headquartered in Amman, Jordan. Arab Bank allegedly has “long provided financial services and other forms of material support to terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda.” Federal Complaint ¶ 358. Further, these Plaintiffs allege that the September 11 attacks were a “direct, intended and foreseeable product of Arab Bank’s participation in al Qaeda’s jihadist campaign.” Id. ¶¶ 364, 363. These claims are based on the allegation that Arab Bank has “long known that accounts it maintained were being used to solicit and transfer funds to terrorist organizations [and despite this knowledge] Arab Bank has continued to maintain those accounts.” Id. ¶ 362. Specifically, the Federal Plaintiffs claim Arab Bank accounts have been used for al Qaeda money transfers throughout the world and that Arab Bank maintains accounts for Defendant charities including IIRO, MWL, WAMY, BIF, Blessed Relief (Muwaffaq) Foundation, and Al Haramain. Id. ¶¶ 359, 360. Israeli officials allegedly have seized funds associated with several Arab Bank accounts maintained on behalf of known fronts for Hamas and identified by Arab Bank employees, “confirming the bank’s specific knowledge that accounts it maintained were being used to sponsor terrorist activity.” Id. ¶ 361.

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