The Obama administration has been under pressure to release 28 classified pages from a congressional inquiry that alleged Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the September 11, 2001, attacks. “And this chapter was kept out because of concerns about sensitive source of methods, investigative actions”.
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US intelligence chief John Brennan says there is “no evidence” indicating that Saudi Arabia gave backing to al-Qaida for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on NY and Washington.
“The 28 pages primarily relate to who financed 9/11, and they point a very strong finger at Saudi Arabia as being the principal financier”, Mr Graham said.
CIA Director John Brennan was a high-level officer in the intelligence agency when the George W. Bush administration made a decision to cut the 28 pages, citing national security interests. “I’m quite puzzled by Sen”.
Brennan went on to say that some may “seize upon that uncorroborated, un-vetted information” to allege Saudi Arabian involvement, “which I think would be very, very inaccurate”.
John Brennan voiced his support for keeping the notoriously redacted “28 pages” in the 2004 text from the public domain for fear of fuelling unfounded rumours. He cited intelligence officials who had signaled that the release of those pages would likely occur at the end of June. “There was evidence about the hijackers, about people they met with – all kinds of different things that the 9/11 Commission was then tasked with reviewing and investigating”. Still, the Saudis have long said that they would welcome declassification of the 28 pages because it would “allow us to respond to any allegations in a clear and credible manner”. He points to one Saudi family’s abrupt move from the USA two weeks before the attack as a sign that some of the country’s citizens had advanced knowledge of the impending attack, but that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has fought every step to expose the links.
Brennan suggested, however, that doing so could be detrimental to our relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Those critics say the vague wording in the report left open the possibility that less senior officials or other parts of the Saudi government could have played a role.
The bill, which has 22 co-sponsors, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in January, but it has not come up for a vote in the Republican-dominated Senate.
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Some 9/11 victims’ family member have been looking for a way to sue Saudi Arabia in court, charging that the government provided some support to the hijackers, but the Obama administration has lobbied against Congressional legislation that could give life to such a suit, The Wall Street Journal reported.
