Joe Biden orders FBI to declassify files on 9/11 attack probe as victims’ families demand answers on Saudi links
JOE Biden has ordered the FBI to declassify files on the investigation into the 9/11 attack as victims' families demand answers on links to Saudi Arabia.
The executive order comes just a week before the 20th anniversary of the which took the lives of nearly 3,000 people.
The issued on Friday said: "As the 20th anniversary of approaches, the American people deserve to have a fuller picture of what their government knows about those attacks."
It directs the Justice Department and other executive branch agencies to launch a declassification review - and orders declassified documents be released over the next six months.
While the "indiscriminate" release of information could "jeopardize" national security and the ability to prevent future attacks, a better balance needs be struck between transparency and accountability, the order said.
"The significant events in question occurred two decades ago or longer, and they concern a tragic moment that continues to resonate in American history and in the lives of so many Americans," the order said.
"It is therefore critical to ensure that the United States Government maximizes transparency, relying on classification only when narrowly tailored and necessary."
has vowed to to continue to "engage respectfully with members of the community".
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Family members have long regarded the publication of the declassified documents as an important step in making their case against the government.
A long-running lawsuit in federal court in alleges Saudi officials provided significant support to some of the hijackers before the attacks.
And the lawsuit took a major step forward this year with the questioning under oath of former Saudi officials.
Terry Strada, whose husband Tom died in the attack, and who is the co-chair of 9/11 Community United, told the : "I’m very excited. I’m thrilled that we have an executive order now that will mandate a full declassification review of all of the documents."
Strada added: "The onus is now on the intelligence agencies to explain why they’re going to classify a document.
"The way that they’ve been doing it until now is under cover of darkness. They won’t be able to do that any longer."
The Saudi government has denied any connection to the attacks.
Fifteen of the hijackers were Saudi, along with , whose al-Qaeda network was behind the attacks.
The significant events in question occurred two decades ago or longer, and they concern a tragic moment that continues to resonate in American history and in the lives of so many Americans.
Biden's executive order
Scrutiny has centered on the support offered to the first two hijackers to arrive in the United States - Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar.
A Saudi national with ties to the Saudi government helped the men find an apartment in San Diego.
Although many documents examining potential Saudi ties have been released over the last two decades, US officials have long regarded other records as too sensitive for disclosure.
On Thursday, victims' families and survivors urged the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate the FBI's apparent inability to locate key pieces of evidence they have been seeking.
Under the terms of the executive order, the FBI must complete its declassification review of the key documents from the probe by September 11.
Additional documents, including any phone and bank records and reports with investigative findings, will be reviewed and could be disclosed over the next six months.
Last month, 1,800 people said Biden should only attend the 20th anniversary commemoration events .
DAY OF EVIL
The horrific events of 9/11 continue to shape the world we live in, almost two decades after they took place.
Thousands were killed during the attacks on New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania when a group of al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airliners.
Two planes - American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 75 - crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City.
Of the 2,996 who died on 9/11, including the 19 hijackers, 2,606 were killed at the World Trade Center and the surrounding area.
Both towers collapsed following the impact, with debris causing more deaths and injury on the streets below.
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Many people including the emergency response teams lost their lives trying to save others. It was the worst loss of life due to a terrorist incident on US soil.
Bin Laden was finally hunted down and killed by US forces in May of 2011, nearly 10 years after the atrocious attacks.
