The president of the United States, Joe Biden, ordered this Friday to declassify previously secret documents about the investigation that the FBI carried out to clarify the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Biden signed an executive order that orders the Department of Justice to Other government agencies review the documents with the goal that US Attorney General Merrick Garland publishes them over the next six months, the White House said in a statement.
The announcement comes a few days after the 20 years of those attacks orchestrated by the terrorist organization Al Qaeda and in which nearly 3,000 people died. “When I ran for President, I made a commitment to ensure transparency on the declassification of documents related to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States. As we approach the twentieth anniversary of that tragic day, I am fulfilling that commitment.” Biden said in a statement.
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In early August, hundreds of survivors and relatives of the victims of the attacks asked Biden not to attend the commemoration of the attacks unless his government released new files on what happened, especially on whether Saudi Arabia played a role. in attacks. The US Congressional commission that investigated the attacks concluded that there was no evidence that the Saudi Arabian government or senior officials in that country had provided funds to the terrorists involved in the attacks, 15 of whom were of Saudi origin.
However, several congressmen and victims’ associations have been calling for years for more transparency regarding US documents about the attacks, which have refused to declassify all of the country’s presidents so far. The White House has not clarified what will be the impact of the executive order that Biden signed this Friday and, therefore, it is not known if that action will satisfy the requests of the survivors and families of the victims.
Shortly after that group made its discomfort public in early August, the Justice Department promised that it would carry out a new review of the documents related to the attacks. The White House has not yet announced what events the president will attend to commemorate the September 11 attacks. “My heart continues to go out to the 9/11 families who are suffering and my Administration will continue to work respectfully with the members of that community,” Biden said in his press release this Friday. The president also thanked them for making their voices heard to chart “a way forward.”
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