Congressman Gaetz Introduces Legislation to Provide Missed Compensation to Survivors of 1996 Khobar Tower Attack

On the night of June 25, 1996, a bomb was detonated near the Khobar Tower housing complex in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The towers housed coalition forces supporting Operation Southern Watch, a no-fly zone operation in southern Iraq. As a result of the detonation, 19 U.S. service members were killed and 498 were wounded, some of whom reside in Florida's First Congressional District.

The Fairness for 9/11 Families Act, which amended the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act, intended to catch up victims of the Khobar Towers terrorist attack with missed prior rounds of compensation. However, Congress seemingly mistakenly excluded 75 percent of the Khobar Towers claimants from the one-time, lump-sum payment by limiting payments to those who had received judgments prior to December 29, 2022, the date it became law. The law also restricted payments exclusively to those who had not filed claims prior to December 29, 2022. Rep. Gaetz's bill, if enacted, would correct the error in the existing law by expanding eligibility for "catch-up" payments to those victims of the Khobar Towers attack who missed some but not all four prior payments.

"My legislation seeks to fix a technical oversight that left many victims of the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing without the full compensation they deserve. It would ensure that all survivors, including the brave service members residing in Florida's First Congressional District who bore the brunt of that tragic day, are treated with the fairness and respect owed to them," said Congressman Gaetz.

"On behalf of the hundreds of U.S. Airmen injured in the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing whom we represent, I want to thank Rep. Gaetz and applaud his leadership in introducing legislation to improve the Fairness Act. Our clients and similarly situated victims were erroneously excluded from the Fairness for 9/11 Families Act's lump sum catch-up payment provision. The Bill for Improvements to the Fairness Act will provide catch-up payments to those victims who were previously overlooked and restore fairness and parity among the various groups of victims of these terror attacks," said Joshua M. Ambush, attorney representing over 200 injured airmen and their close family members affected by the Khobar Towers attack.

Full text of Congressman Gaetz's bill can be found HEREand a letter in support of the legislation from Joshua M. Ambush can be found HERE. Additionally, exclusive coverage of the bill by Breitbart News can be found HERE.

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