President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will consider declassifying sensitive government documents concerning the September 11 terror attacks, following renewed demands from families of 9/11 victims for full disclosure regarding allegations of Saudi involvement.
Trump said he would review the issue upon returning to Washington, after families publicly pressed Vice President JD Vance during events marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The renewed pressure comes as 9/11 families continue pursuing litigation against Saudi Arabia, alleging that individuals connected to the kingdom provided assistance to some of the terrorists before the attacks.
“How is it possible that 25 years have passed, and we still do not have justice for the role Saudi Arabia played in the murder of our loved ones?” Terry Strada, who leads 9/11 Families United, asked while addressing Vance at Ground Zero.
Strada added that “administration after administration, including leaders present here today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the families of September 11.”
Fifteen of the 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists who carried out the attacks were Saudi nationals. Saudi Arabia has consistently denied that its government played any role in the plot.
The issue is also playing out in federal court. A federal appeals panel in Manhattan is expected to hear arguments next month involving Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who assisted two of the future 9/11 hijackers after they arrived in California.
A video recorded by al-Bayoumi in 1999 and later unsealed by court order shows him filming the U.S. Capitol while discussing a “plan.” Attorneys representing 9/11 families contend that the footage shows him examining security features and access points around the Capitol.
Another video from 2000 shows al-Bayoumi hosting a gathering for future hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar shortly after they arrived in San Diego.
The developments have fueled longstanding demands from victims’ families that the federal government release any remaining classified material that could shed light on whether foreign individuals or governments assisted the hijackers.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
