Terry Strada, whose husband Tom was killed in the 9/11 attacks, criticized Saudi Arabia and successive U.S. administrations during the 25th anniversary memorial at Ground Zero on Friday.
Her remarks drew loud applause from the crowd. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks. She then accused U.S. officials of withholding information and breaking promises. “They vetoed JASTA [Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act]. They broke promises, both public and private. It has been one betrayal after another. Strada also asked President Trump to confront Saudi Arabia over its denials. She thanked Vice President JD Vance for attending and asked him to take her message back to Trump. The main issue is not that Saudi Arabia has been proven to have ordered the attacks. However, questions about possible Saudi assistance have continued. Her husband, bond broker Tom Strada, died in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Strada ended her appeal with a direct message: “Stand with the families. Stand with the survivors.
Strada, chair of 9/11 Families United, accused officials of protecting the Saudis instead of supporting victims’ families. The 9/11 Commission found no evidence that the Saudi government or senior Saudi officials funded al-Qaeda, but later investigations and a civil lawsuit have raised questions about possible help from Saudi individuals. Strada directly addressed President Donald Trump’s administration during the ceremony, saying: “For 25 years, administration after administration, including leaders in front of us here today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families. The 9/11 Commission’s 2004 report said it found no evidence that the Saudi government or senior Saudi officials funded al-Qaeda. It also said the 19 hijackers were funded by al-Qaeda. A U.S. federal judge ruled in 2025 that a lawsuit by 9/11 victims’ families accusing Saudi Arabia of helping the hijackers could proceed. Strada’s criticism comes as families mark 25 years since the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. She also pointed to JASTA, which allows 9/11 families to bring lawsuits against foreign governments over terrorism-related claims. President Barack Obama vetoed the law in 2016, but Congress later overrode his veto.
“They withheld evidence,” Strada continued. “Tell them that if they want to be friends with the USA, they cannot continue to deny all of this, all of the pain, all of the destruction that we have all been suffering through,” Strada said. Stand with Americans,” Strada said. “As my husband Tom would have said, that is always the right thing to do.”
The ruling allowed the claims to move forward; it did not establish that Saudi Arabia was responsible for 9/11.
The case focuses on alleged links between Saudi officials or employees and two al-Qaeda operatives who came to the U.S. before the attacks.
