Saudi Arabia embraces US move to classify 9/11 documents

As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 is approaching, following Joe Biden’s orders to the Justice Department and others agencies to declassify documents related to the FBI’s investigation into the 9/11 attacks and possible Saudi links, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday embraced this step by the US government.

Despite the fact the many of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi nationals, Riyadh has long asked for the move but denies any link between the attackers and the government, the Saudi embassy in Washington said.

“Since that horrific day 20 years ago, the leadership of Saudi Arabia has consistently called for the release of all materials related to the United States’ investigation of the attacks,” the embassy said. “The Kingdom has always advocated for transparency surrounding the September 11 tragedy.”

The embassy further said that as past investigations have revealed, “including the 9/11 Commission and the release of the so-called ’28 pages’, no evidence has ever emerged to indicate that the Saudi government or its officials had previous knowledge of the terrorist attack or were in any way involved in its planning or execution.”

“Any allegation that Saudi Arabia is complicit in the September 11 attacks is categorically false,” it added. On the other hand, Joe Biden’s move was motivated by fierce pressure from the congress and victim’s families to expose Saudi Arabia’s links with Al Qaeda.

The Saudi embassy said that when the hijackers attacked the ‘Twin Towers’ on 11 Sep 2001 killing thousands of people, Saudi Arabia strongly condemned this heinous act by the terrorists.

“As the administrations of the past four US presidents have attested, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has unwaveringly condemned and denounced the deplorable crimes that took place against the United States, its close ally and partner,” the embassy said.