A United States judge in New York has ordered terror group al-Qaeda, Taliban and Iran to pay nearly $6 billion to relatives of the victims and survivors of the September 11 attacks.
The lawsuit was filed against the terror groups as well as against Iran for its complicity in the attacks. In his 16-page ruling US Magistrate Judge Frank Maas has ordered that the 110 survivors and 47 victims' estates that are parties to the lawsuit be awarded damages of the amount of $6,048,513,805.
The plaintiffs had sought economic damages for the past and future lost wages.
On December 22, 2011, a default judgement was entered by Judge George Daniels on behalf of the plaintiffs, one of the cases comprising the lawsuit against Iran, Ayatollah Ali Hoseini Khamenei, Hezbollah, and other Iranian individuals and entities as well as against Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda.
Daniels had found that Iran and the Hezbollah outfit had aided al-Qaeda in the attacks. The lawsuit said the plaintiffs had sought damages for their decedents' 'pain and suffering'.
One of the plaintiffs to the lawsuit, Ellen Saracini told the New York Daily News that she was happy with the ruling. Her husband, Victor Saracini, was captain of the United Airlines Flight which struck the south tower of the World Trade Center.
"It's hard being happy, but I am happy about it," said Saracini. "But it opens up old wounds. We were never in it for a lawsuit. I wanted to know what happened to my husband."
