US President Joe Biden signed an executive order declassifying certain documents related to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, AP reports.
According to a US news agency, Biden’s decision is being interpreted as a gesture of support for the families of the victims, who have long sought additional information, hoping to bring the Saudi Arabian government to justice.
The order, signed just over a week before the twentieth anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers, is considered a milestone in a dispute that has raged for years between the US administration and the families of the victims over confidential information about the preparatory period for the attacks. made public.
The lawsuit picked up steam last month when some 1,800 family members who survived and were the first to respond to the tragedy objected to Biden’s involvement in 9/11 unless the documents were declassified.
“These important events occurred two decades or more ago and relate to a tragic moment that continues to resonate in American history and in the lives of so many Americans,” says Biden’s decree. He continues: “Therefore, it is critical. to ensure maximum transparency of the US government, relying on ratings only when strictly appropriate and necessary. “
Biden’s order instructs the Department of Justice and other agencies in the US administration to initiate declassification and requires declassification of declassified documents. released in the next six months.
However, the practical impact of the edict and any new documents that Biden’s decision may have spawned or exposed were not immediately clear.
Previous investigations have identified links between Saudi citizens and some of the hijackers of aircraft used against the Twin Towers in New York, but have not established whether the Saudi government was directly involved.
It is not known if the disclosure of documents previously hidden by the US could change this estimate.
Last month, the Justice Department announced that the FBI had recently completed an investigation in which it looked into some of the 9/11 hijackers and possible accomplices, and that its possible disclosure is now being considered in light of a previous failure to disclose the data collected.
