From 1977 to 2001 , Prince Turki was the director general of Al Mukhabarat Al ' Ammah , Saudi Arabia 's intelligence agency , resigning the position on 1 September 2001 , some ten days before the September 11 attacks in which 14 Saudi nationals hijacked commercial American airliners . Prince Turki subsequently served as ambassador to the Court of St. James 's and the United States
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Turki bin Faisal Al Saud