In April 2001, he, not foreign minister Saud al Faisal, went to Iran as Saudi envoy in an unprecedented move. He issued all women in Saudi Arabia identity cards. Women were previously registered under their husband's or father's name in November 2001. After the September 11 attacks, as the man in charge of the Saudi investigation he received US criticism for his continuing to insist that the Saudi hijackers were dupes in a Zionist plot for over a year after 9/11, and for not undertaking sufficient action against extremists.