NEW YORK —

A federal judge in New York on Thursday rejected Saudi Arabia’s latest effort to dismiss civil claims that it supported the 9/11 hijackers.

Judge George B. Daniels said in a written opinion that his decision pertained to jurisdiction rather than the merits of the claims against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

However, he found the claims legally sufficient to proceed to trial, noting that an imam and an accountant's employment by Saudi Arabia likely had some connection with their support of two al-Qaida members who came to the United States in early 2000 to study English and take flight lessons.

Lawyers for Saudi Arabia argued that the nation and the U.S. were partners in the 1990s against terrorism, al-Qaida and its founder, Osama bin Laden.

Lawyers for relatives of 9/11 vict

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