When the 19 hijackers on September 11 devastatingly struck with devastating effect in New York and Washington on September 11 2001, America’s outrage turned against Saudi Arabia, the home of 15 of the extremists.

The strict Sunni Wahabi sect practised in Saudi Arabia came under fierce attack in the US. As did the kingdom’s religious autocracy and the education system, all of which were contributing to the radicalisation of Saudi youth.