US eyes release of 9/11 records in lawsuit accusing Saudi Arabia of complicity

The long-running lawsuit advanced significantly this year with the questioning under oath of former Saudi officials

Their depositions remain under seal, however, alongside a trove of other documents deemed too sensitive for disclosure

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A hijacked commercial plane approaches the World Trade Centre in New York shortly before crashing into it on September 11, 2001. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:52am, 10 Aug 2021Updated: 7:57pm, 10 Aug 2021

The US Justice Department has said it would work toward providing families of September 11 victims with more information about the run-up to the attacks as part of a federal lawsuit that aims to hold the Saudi government accountable.

The disclosure in a two-page letter filed in federal court in Manhattan on Monday follows long-standing criticism from relatives of those killed that the United States government was withholding crucial details from them in the name of national security.

Nearly 1,800 families, victims and first responders objected in a letter last week to President Joe Biden’s attendance at September 11 memorial events as long as key documents remained classified. Monday’s move failed to placate at least some victims’ relatives, who said the FBI and Justice Department have already had years to review the documents.

The ground zero and September 11 memorial pools are seen amid the city skyline of lower Manhattan and New York on August 5. Photo: AFP

“We appreciate that President Biden recognises that long-standing questions about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the worst-ever terrorist attack on American soil remain unanswered, but nobody should be fooled by this half-hearted, insufficient commitment to transparency,” said Terry Strada, whose husband, Tom, died when a hijacked plane flew into the World Trade Centre.

She said the announcement only applies to a limited “subset of cherry-picked documents that the FBI has already identified for review”.

A long-running lawsuit accusing Saudi Arabia of being complicit in the attacks advanced significantly this year with the questioning under oath of former Saudi officials. Those depositions, however, remain under seal and the US has withheld a trove of other documents as too sensitive for disclosure.