拉里·纽迈斯特 纽约报道——周三，在纽约市的一家联邦上诉法院法庭里，挤满了“9·11”恐怖袭击受害者的家属。三位法官在此听取了关于针对沙特阿拉伯的法律诉讼是否可以继续推进的辩论。
LARRY NEUMEISTER NEW YORK — Family members of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks packed a federal appeals courtroom in New York City on Wednesday as three judges heard arguments over whether legal claims against Saudi Arabia can proceed.
法官们的提问表明，尽管这起诉讼已经拖了近四分之一个世纪，但其中仍有许多法律问题需要裁决。
The judges revealed through their questions that there are still many legal issues to be decided in the lawsuit even though it has dragged on for almost a quarter-century.
法官们没有透露何时会就诉讼是否能进入审判阶段做出裁决。原告在诉讼中指控沙特阿拉伯向19名劫机者中的至少两人提供了援助，这群劫机者在当年驾机撞击了世界贸易中心、五角大楼以及宾夕法尼亚州的一处田野。
They didn’t say when they might rule on whether claims can proceed to trial alleging that Saudi Arabia provided aid to at least two of the 19 men who hijacked planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field that day.
尽管如此，丈夫托马斯·斯特拉达（Tom Strada）在袭击中遇难的特里·斯特拉达（Terry Strada）表示，看到100多名“9·11”受害者家属到场，以及法官们的提问，都让她备受鼓舞。
Still, Terry Strada, whose husband Tom Strada was killed in the attacks, said she was encouraged that more than 100 family members of 9/11 victims turned out and by the judges’ questions.
她事后表示：“对我们来说这确实是个好日子。法官们提出了非常切中要害的问题，狠狠驳斥了沙特的律师，而且毫不松口。他们根本不买沙特那一套。”在这些诉讼中，数以百计的受害者亲属、受伤幸存者以及保险公司和企业声称，沙特政府雇员直接且知情地协助了劫机者和其他策划者，并通过资助支持他们的慈善机构，助长了基地组织发展成为一个恐怖组织。
“It really was a good day for us,” she said afterward. “The judges asked really meaningful questions and hammered the Saudi attorneys and didn’t let up. They weren’t buying what the Saudis were selling.”In lawsuits, hundreds of victims’ relatives and injured survivors, along with insurance companies and businesses, claim that employees of the Saudi government directly and knowingly assisted the hijackers and other plotters and fueled al-Qaida’s development into a terrorist organization by funding charities that supported them.
包括伊朗、塔利班和基地组织在内的部分被告已被裁定败诉（缺席判决）。
Some defendants, including Iran, the Taliban and al-Qaida, already have been found in default.
周三，双方律师不断遭到上诉法官的质问。法官们似乎对如何回应沙特阿拉伯王国关于其应以主权豁免为由被排除在被告之外的主张，感到举棋不定。
On Wednesday, lawyers from both sides were questioned repeatedly by the appeals judges who seemed unsure exactly how they would respond to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s claims that it should be dismissed as a defendant on sovereign immunity grounds.
沙特阿拉伯的律师表示，在20世纪90年代，该国与美国是打击恐怖主义、基地组织及其创始人乌萨马·本·拉登的合作伙伴。
Lawyers for Saudi Arabia say the nation and the U.S. were partners in the 1990s against terrorism, al-Qaida and its founder, Osama bin Laden.
尽管9/11袭击事件的19名袭击者中有15人是沙特人，但沙特政府长期以来一直否认与此次袭击有任何关联。
Although 15 of the 19 attackers on 9/11 were Saudis, the Saudi government has long denied any involvement in the attacks.
遇难者亲属的律师声称，沙特阿拉伯的一群极端宗教领袖为劫机者提供了帮助。
Lawyers for victims’ relatives claim that a group of extremist religious leaders in Saudi Arabia aided the hijackers.
沙特阿拉伯提出上诉，源于美国地区法官乔治·B·丹尼尔斯于2025年8月作出的一项裁决。该裁决认为此案可以在联邦法院继续审理，但并未对索赔主张的实质内容作出判决。
The appeal by Saudi Arabia stemmed from an August 2025 ruling by U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels, who decided that the case could proceed in federal court, though he did not rule on the merits of the claims.