Shibbir Ahmed, Washington DC — U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he would consider a request from relatives of victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to release additional government records related to the attacks, including documents that could shed further light on possible Saudi connections.
Speaking to reporters in Ireland before returning to the United States, Trump was asked about calls from 9/11 victims’ families for the release of additional records. “I’m going to look at it when I get back,” Trump said.
The renewed push comes just days after the United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.
Families of 9/11 victims have for years sought the release of additional records they believe could help clarify whether individuals linked to Saudi Arabia provided assistance to some of the hijackers. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.
Terry Strada, whose husband was killed in the attacks, has been among those pressing the Trump administration to release more information. During a 25th-anniversary remembrance ceremony, she urged Trump to stop protecting Saudi Arabia and provide families and survivors with greater transparency.
Saudi Arabia has consistently denied involvement in the attacks. The issue has nevertheless remained the subject of years of investigation and legal action by victims’ families.
Trump’s comments do not amount to a commitment to release the records, but they could reopen a long-running debate over the remaining classified material surrounding the September 11 attacks.
The Public Interest Declassification Board has also been advocating for the release of additional historically significant 9/11 records. The board said earlier this month that it was pursuing the potential declassification of high-priority records associated with the 9/11 Commission, including material related to intelligence assessments before the attacks.
For families who have spent a quarter-century seeking answers, Trump’s statement represents a potentially significant development in their long-running effort to obtain additional information about what U.S. officials knew before September 11 and whether individuals connected to the attacks received assistance from foreign actors.
