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Sudan sued over USS Cole attack | Sudan sued over USS Cole attack |
(about 14 hours later) | |
Families of American sailors killed in the suicide bombing of the USS Cole warship are suing the government of Sudan, accusing it of aiding terrorism. | |
They claim the African nation helped al-Qaeda, which was blamed for the attack, and are seeking damages of more than $100m through a Virginia court. | |
Sudan has tried to have the case dismissed, saying too much time had passed since the 2000 bombing. | |
Seventeen US sailors died and 39 were injured in the attack off Yemen. | |
'Sanctuary for terror' | |
Terrorism expert Lorenzo Vidino told the court in Norfolk, Virginia, that hundreds of terrorists from Yemen went to Sudan for training. | |
"Sudan - the whole country - was a perfect sanctuary," he said. | |
Louge Gunn, the father of Seaman Cherone Louis Gunn - one of the sailors killed in the bombing - told the court he considered committing suicide after being told of his son's death. | |
"It was the most devastating thing that had ever happened to me," Mr Gunn said. | |
"I felt like somebody had put their hand in the inside of my body and pulled my skin out." | |
The families claim the Sudanese government gave al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama Bin Laden, financial and technical support, allowing the group to establish training bases, run businesses and even use Sudanese diplomatic passports to carry explosives. | The families claim the Sudanese government gave al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama Bin Laden, financial and technical support, allowing the group to establish training bases, run businesses and even use Sudanese diplomatic passports to carry explosives. |
The Sudanese government insists there is no link with al-Qaeda - a view backed by one recent US government report. | The Sudanese government insists there is no link with al-Qaeda - a view backed by one recent US government report. |
But the families disagree. They hope to claim the damages from millions of dollars in Sudanese assets frozen in the US. | But the families disagree. They hope to claim the damages from millions of dollars in Sudanese assets frozen in the US. |
They also hope to make it prohibitively expensive for nations to become involved in terrorism, their lawyers say. |
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