December 17, 2001	Monday	Shawwal 1, 1422

HAMBURG, Dec 16: The Saudi interior minister has said there was no proof that Saudis took part in the Sept 11 suicide attacks, in an interview to be published in the German weekly Der Spiegel on Monday.

“It’s true that Saudi citizens were in the planes, but who can be certain whether they were behind the attacks? Until now, no one has found me any proof of this,” said Prince Nayef ibn Abdel Aziz.

According to the US State Department, 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in the suicide attacks received American visas in Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed Atta, an Egyptian in possession of a passport from the United Arab Emirates, has been identified by the FBI as the ringleader and the pilot of the hijacked jet that slammed into first tower of the World Trade Center in New York.

“People who commit such actions have to be very qualified,” Prince Nayef said. “To pilot planes of this calibre, it requires more than being a beginner.”

Prince Nayef said the discovery of a will written by Atta in the baggage of the aircraft did not constitute proof of guilt.

“Almost every Muslim writes a will before embarking on a plane or boat journey,” the prince said.

Addressing the wider debate on the Middle East, the Saudi minister made it clear where he believed the blame lay for the current crisis.

“Without the West’s disproportionate support for Israel, our relations (between the Islamic world and the West) would be better,” he stated. “Because what Israel and (its prime minister) Ariel Sharon are doing to the Palestinians is clearly terrorism.”—AFP