A terrorist bombing in the basement of the World Trade Centre in 1993 has been found by a jury to be the fault of the building’s owner, the New York Port Authority. The explosion in an underground car park of the centre killed six people and injured 1000.

The state court jury found the port authority knew the parking garage was a security risk but did nothing to make it more secure. It found the bombers – Islamic terrorists – were 32% at fault, with the port authority 68% at fault.

The jury ruling clears the way now for hundreds of victims and their families to sue for damages. Claims are expected to be as high as $US1.8 billion ($2.4 billion).

However, lawyers for the port authority indicated they will probably appeal to a higher court to have the jury decision set aside.

The most damning evidence against the port authority was a 1985 internal report written by the authority’s own security unit, which warned that the car park was an easy target for attack. One juror told reporters after the trial concluded that the authority “dropped the ball. No one took the report seriously.”