The letter expresses gratitude to those golfers who remained loyal to the PGA Tour and rejected “blood money” from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Series. The writers point the finger directly at Saudi Arabia for its role in the 9/11 attacks on America which killed almost 3,000 people and injured and sickened thousands more.
The letter comes in response to the decision by some professional golfers in recent weeks to accept lucrative contracts to play in the new LIV tournaments, including one recent competition in the United Kingdom and several more planned for this summer at U.S courses. By joining and endorsing the Saudi-funded league despite the Kingdom’s role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, these golfers, notes the letter, “are helping one of the world’s worst regimes paper over its crimes.”
“Thank you for standing up for decency,” states the letter. “Thank you for standing up for the 9/11 Families. Thank you for resisting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to cleanse its reputation by buying off professional athletes.”
“For more than 20 years the 9/11 community has sought accountability and justice from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its role supporting the hijackers and this attack on our nation,” said Brett Eagleson, whose father Bruce Eagleson was murdered in the attacks. “The Saudis have blood on their hands, and no amount of sportswashing should ever clean that up for them.”
The Saudi Role in the 9/11 Attacks
The letter refers to some of the mounting, document-based evidence of Saudi culpability in the attacks on the U.S., citing:
“. . . as a July 2021 FBI summary of the ‘Operation Encore’ investigation into Saudi ties to the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks reported, ‘Saudi government officials and intelligence officers were directly operating and supporting’ a militant network, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s ‘knowledge and/or concurrence … related to the 9/11 investigation’ was based ‘not only [on] … the direct involvement of some personnel but also … the creation of a larger network for such activities.’”
As the FBI report describes, the Kingdom is implicated in the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks not because 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, but because the “[i]nvestigation of the 9/11 hijackers and their support networks identified significant connections to [Saudi Arabia ministry] offices either directly [at the Saudi Embassy] or via the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Los Angeles.”
Saudi Terrorism Continues
“Unfortunately, Saudi terrorism didn’t end with 9/11,” says the letter. “The world saw that in 2018 with the cold-blooded murder of Jamal Khashoggi ordered by the Saudi Crown Prince himself. And we continue to see it in 2022, as the Saudi government has imprisoned scores of dissenters and journalists, hosted a public execution of 81 people, slaughtered and bombed Yemenis, and committed countless other crimes against women and minorities.”
“President Biden has an extraordinary opportunity when he visits Saudi Arabia next month,” said Eagleson, “to continue to stand with the 9/11 families and press today’s Saudi leadership to step up and be accountable for this mass murder of our loved ones. Such accountability is deserved, necessary and long overdue.”
The full text of the letter from the 9/11 community to golfers of the PGA Tour is below and the list of signatories and the letter are accessible here.
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An Open Letter to PGA Tour Members
We are the survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks – the spouses, children, parents and siblings of those killed, as well as the grievously injured. We have spent years seeking justice and accountability from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who, evidence now confirms, played a key role in providing material support to the terrorists.
Indeed, as a July 2021 FBI summary of the “Operation Encore” investigation into Saudi ties to the 9/11 terrorist attacks reported, “Saudi government officials and intelligence officers were directly operating and supporting” a militant network, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s “knowledge and/or concurrence … related to the 9/11 investigation” was based “not only [on] … the direct involvement of some personnel but also … the creation of a larger network for such activities.”
As the FBI report describes, the Kingdom is implicated in the 9/11 terrorist attacks not because 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, but because the “[i]nvestigation of the 9/11 hijackers and their support networks identified significant connections to [Saudi Arabia ministry] offices either directly [at the Saudi Embassy] or via the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Los Angeles.”
To those many of you who chose to remain loyal to the PGA Tour – and did not defect to the Saudi Arabia-bankrolled LIV Golf Series — we thank you and the sponsors who support you. Thank you for standing up for decency. Thank you for standing up for the 9/11 Families. Thank you for resisting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to cleanse its reputation by buying off professional athletes.
We know that not all of you are millionaires, and that you compete to win tournaments, fame, and glory. We appreciate and applaud your spirit, drive, and talents, and believe that is all part of what makes competitive sports great.
Some of your fellow PGA Tour members have traded their dreams of earned success for easy money—indeed, blood money—whether they need those funds or not. They include some of the richest in the field, who justify their roles in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to sportswash by simply, and astoundingly, looking the other way. They do so casually when asked the hard questions or are faced with the uncomfortable truth: That they are helping one of the world’s worst regimes paper over its crimes.
As the recently declassified FBI and other investigative documents make clear, the Saudi government helped fund and facilitate the worst terrorist attacks ever on American soil. These attacks made possible by Saudi Arabia injured thousands more, many of whom are brave 9/11
first responders who continue to suffer and die every day as a result of their efforts on that tragic day.
Unfortunately, Saudi terrorism didn’t end with 9/11. The world saw that in 2018 with the cold- blooded murder of Jamal Khashoggi ordered by the Saudi Crown Prince himself. And we continue to see it in 2022, as the Saudi government has imprisoned scores of dissenters and journalists, hosted a public execution of 81 people, slaughtered and bombed Yemenis, and committed countless other crimes against women and minorities.
But the truth is coming out. Just some of the substantial evidence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 attacks has been reported on by the NY Times, AP News, CBS News, among other sources.
To those of you who have chosen what is right over blood money from a corrupt, destructive sports entity and its Saudi backers, please continue to stand strong. You inspire hope and conviction that our long journey to accountability and justice is in reach. We deeply value your integrity and your willingness to stand up for principle.
And we are here to connect with you directly if you’d like to learn more.
We will Never Forget. Thank you for reminding all Americans and people of the world that we should never forget. Thank you for doing what is right.
June 22, 2022
