Despite shortcomings, Saudi Arabia remains a stalwart US ally in the global war against terrorism, a senior State Department official told Congress this week. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, and particularly after last year’s suicide bombings in Riyadh, Saudi authorities have taken numerous steps to crack down on terrorist financing, including some that are “among the most restrictive measures” in the world, said Cofer Black, the department’s counter-terrorism coordinator. “We have such a like-minded counter-terrorism ally in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Black told a House International Relations subcommittee on Wednesday. “It is clear that the Saudi government ‘gets it’ when it comes to terrorism. Full Story