U.S. Congress on Friday released a long-classified document that offered specific details of possible ties between Saudi governments and some suspects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The controversial pages came from a congressional inquiry into the 2001 terror attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., that killed almost 3,000 people.
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U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch is calling for a congressional hearing on Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks now that 28 pages of once top secret documents on the 2001 tragedy have finally been released. Lawmakers and relatives of victims of the attacks who believe that Saudi links to the attackers were not thoroughly investigated had campaigned for years to get the pages released. Despite containing only leads to possible Saudi ties to the 9/11 hijackers, which were investigated by government officials, former Senator Bob Graham was happy with the release in that it would lead to further questioning of the Saudi government’s potential involvement.
One of those who wants to read the pages is Terry Strada, who has been pushing for the right to sue Saudi Arabia over its alleged involvement in the attack.
Bob Graham, who said the 28 pages “point a very strong finger at Saudi Arabia”, and Minnesota Congressman Rick Nolan, who said the pages “confirm that much of the rhetoric preceding the us attack on Iraq was terribly wrong”.
“Releasing the contents of the 28 pages will answer some of the many questions that remain”, Lynch said. Graham has said that the pages “point a very strong finger at Saudi Arabia as being the principle financier”.
Responding to the report, Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said that these suspicions had been investigated in the interim years and debunked. “It’s the beginning, but I don’t think it’s the end”, said Terry Strada, national chair for 9/11 Families United For Justice Against Terrorism.
The document mentions scores of names that the congressional inquiry believed deserved more investigation.
– Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who helped two of the hijackers in California, was suspected of being a Saudi intelligence officer.
Although the pages show no official links between the Saudi government and the attackers, the report found it was likely that they had financial help from people inside the kingdom.
All of the Saudis named in the pages released Friday, including several who had been in direct contact with two of the hijackers during their time in the United States prior to the attacks, were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency, with results detailed in later reports.
California-based Saudis aided two 9/11 hijackers.
Later investigations found no evidence that the Saudi government or senior Saudi officials knowingly supported those who orchestrated the attacks.
Bush originally classified the chapter to protect intelligence sources and methods and perhaps to avoid upsetting Saudi Arabia, a close USA ally.
Lynch co-sponsored a resolution calling for the release of the pages in 2013 and President Obama ordered a review of them earlier this year, before the House of Representatives Committee on Intelligence declassified them – with some redactions – yesterday.
Congress on Friday made public a long-classified document detailing possible connections between the Saudi government and the September 11 terrorist plot.
Those who pushed for its release say it’s only the beginning. “This material was investigative material that was reviewed and followed up on by the independent 9/11 Commission”, Earnest said. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind. Despite this revelation and subsequent attempts by the Saudi government and some USA officials to completely discredit the validity of the claims contained within the 28 pages, a number of other investigators remain puzzled by the exact role played by individuals like Fahad al-Thumairy in the September 11 attacks.
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The findings from a 2002 congressional inquiry into the terrorist attacks were unveiled by the House Intelligence Committee today after a longtime push to make them public.
