The FBI has released the first set of declassified document of the 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. This marks the 20th anniversary of the fateful event which killed nearly 3,000 people. The partially redacted 16-page document outlined contacts between the hijackers and Saudi associates.
But there is no evidence that Riyadh was complicit in the attacks, which shook the world. Saudi Arabia has long rejected and denied speculations of its role in the attacks. The Saudi embassy in Washington, in an official statement issued on September 8, said Saudi Arabia has always advocated for transparency around the events of Sep 11, 2001 and welcomes the release by the US of classified documents relating to the attacks. “As past investigations have revealed, including the 9/11 Commission and the release of the so-called 28-Pages, no evidence has ever emerged to indicate that the Saudi government or its officials has previous knowledge of the terrorist attack or were in any way involved,” the embassy’s statement said.
Over the years, various reports have highlighted that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. And a US government commission also found no evidence that the Kingdom directly funded al-Qaeda.
The heavily redacted record, according to The Guardian, describes a 2015 interview with a person who was applying for US citizenship and years earlier had repeated contacts with Saudi nationals who investigators said provided “significant logistical support” to several of the hijackers. The US investigated some Saudi diplomats and others with Saudi government ties who knew the hijackers after they arrived in the US, according to the documents that have already been declassified.
US President Joe Biden acknowledged the darker forces of human nature, fear and anger, resentment and violence against Muslim Americans which followed the attacks, but said that unity had remained the US’ greatest strength.
Also Read: Priyanka Chopra and Usher with Julianne Hough to co-host The Activist
The attacks, which were planned by al-Qaeda from Afghanistan, had four US passenger jets seized by suicide bombers – two of which were flown into the Twin Towers, while another struck the Pentagon and the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back.
