February 22, 2019 - Building 131 in the Khobar Towers complex in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia experienced a shocking bombing attack on the night of June 25, 1996. The eight-story building was a temporary home to Airmen, primarily assigned to the 4404th Wing, who were in Saudi Arabia supporting Operation Southern Watch. A survivor of the bombing who was on the roof patrolling that evening remembers seeing a truck parked next door to a mosque which was under construction, then seeing the truck move, parking next to the Building 131 in the Khobar Towers complex.
When two men got out of the truck and jumped into a waiting car, the airman realized something was wrong, and immediately began evacuation of the building. Unfortunately, it was just too late for most of those in the building. The explosion killed 19 Airmen and injured as many as 400 service members and civilians in a blast which was so powerful it blew out all the windows in buildings within a two-mile radius.
Saudi Arabia claimed in 2001 that eleven of the people indicted in the U.S. for the bombing were in custody in Saudi prisons, however refused to extradite any of them to the U.S. The Saudi government never made public the outcome of the “trial” for those prisoners or the current location of the eleven. In 2015, the man accused of masterminding the bombing was arrested. Ahmed al-Mughassil was identified in an American federal indictment as the senior leader of the militant group whose goal was to kill American military personnel in the Persian Gulf.
It was initially suggested that Al Qaeda, a Sunni group, played a role in the Khobar Towers bombing, however in 2006, the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia concluded Iran was responsible, working through a Saudi militant group. In 2004, Osama Bin Laden was seen being congratulated on the day of the Khobar Towers attack and a U.S. federal court speculated the bombing was authorized by Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.
The indictment of al-Mughassil stated the Lebanese suspect assisted in the construction of the bomb used in the attack. United States officials said the Saudis obstructed the attack investigation; at the time, Saudi was attempting to heal strained relations with Iran, therefore were reluctant to join America in placing the blame for the Khobar Towers bombing on Iran. Although a reward was offered by the United States for information leading to the arrest of al-Mughassil, it took nearly two decades for the terrorist to be brought to justice.
Survivors of the Khobar Towers Bombing - Survivors of the Khobar Towers bombing have spent the past two decades trying to put their lives back together and move forward, with many suffering from serious, life-altering injuries as well as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Houston Personal Injury Law Firm of Sullo & Sullo is currently helping members of the military who were injured in the Khobar Towers on the night of the bombing. Speaking to one of Sullo & Sullo's Khobar Towers Bombing Injury Attorneys can help you determine whether you have a claim.
Our legal team includes USMC Iraq War Veteran and Attorney at Law John Urquhart and Top 100 National Trial Lawyer* Andrew Sullo (*2013-2019 as named by the National Trial Lawyers). If you are an individual who was injured, or the surviving relative of an individual who lost his or her life in the Khobar Towers Bombing, you could potentially benefit from speaking to a knowledgeable Khobar Towers Bombing Injury Attorney. If you or a loved one was injured in the Khobar Towers bombing, contact Sullo & Sullo today.