NEW YORK Sept 26 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday

dismissed two lawsuits seeking to hold Standard Chartered Bank ( SCBFF )

liable for having allegedly provided indirect support

to groups that conducted 12 attacks in Israel and Iraq between

2010 and 2019.

U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan said the

90 plaintiffs--including attack victims and their relatives or

representatives--did not plausibly allege that the British bank

"knowingly and substantially assisted" the attacks.

In court papers, Standard Chartered ( SCBFF ) said it "did not commit

any acts of terrorism and did not support any terrorist or

attack."

The plaintiffs alleged that Standard Chartered ( SCBFF ) provided

financial and logistical support to Iran's central bank, other

banks and companies, and individuals that aided Hamas,

Hezbollah, Jaysh al-Mahdi and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

This allegedly included transfers of billions of dollars,

despite counterterrorism warnings from U.S. government officials

and others, and violated the federal Justice Against Sponsors of

Terrorism Act, or JASTA.

But the judge said that while Standard Chartered ( SCBFF ) "engaged in

some wrongdoing" in connection with helping customers evade

sanctions, its conduct had no "direct nexus" to the attacks.

"Even under the most generous reading of the allegations

there are several steps between any conduct by SCB and the

actions of those who directly perpetrated the attacks," Garnett

wrote.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to

requests for comment. Standard Chartered ( SCBFF ) and its lawyers did not

immediately respond to similar requests.

The cases are Fraenkel et al v Standard Chartered Bank ( SCBFF ),

U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

24-04484; and Brauner et al v Standard Chartered Bank ( SCBFF ) in the

same court, No. 24-05788.