At the 25th anniversary memorial in New York, family members of 9/11 victims urged President Donald Trump to declassify government records they say could show a link between Saudi Arabia and the attacks, CNN reported.
Speakers at the ceremony used their remarks to press the White House to release documents and materials that families’ lawyers have cited in a long-running civil case, CNN’s video coverage said, as relatives read the names of the victims and called for transparency.
Those calls come amid newly surfaced court evidence that plaintiffs’ lawyers say strengthens their claims. Quartz reported that recently released videos and a plane-descent diagram tied to an alleged Saudi-linked figure, Omar al-Bayoumi, are at the center of a $1 trillion civil lawsuit brought by families seeking accountability.
BBC reporting on the same new material said the footage shows previously unseen links between the man named in the suit and extremist figures, and that some of the evidence was not shared widely by investigators, raising fresh questions about what intelligence agencies knew before and after 2001.
ABC News has also covered the wave of newly obtained records, saying victims’ relatives hope the documents will “help illuminate” any Saudi connections. Families and their lawyers have been pursuing discovery in federal court for years as part of litigation against Saudi entities and individuals.
The new evidence prompted public appeals at Ground Zero, where family members including leaders of 9/11 Families United called on the president to order declassification so the material can be examined publicly and in court, CNN reported.
How declassification would proceed is governed by executive and intelligence rules and can involve reviews across agencies; media reports note this is politically sensitive because of the U.S.–Saudi relationship and past decisions about what material to release.
For readers who want background on how the political and legal debates over 9/11 records have intersected with presidential actions and privilege, see reporting on Trump administration extends executive privilege to private advisers and reflections at the 25th anniversary collected in Condoleezza Rice reflects on 9/11.
Sources
- CNN — video report showing family members urging President Trump to declassify records at the 25th anniversary memorial.
- Quartz — reporting that newly revealed videos and a plane descent diagram tied to Omar al-Bayoumi are central to a $1 trillion civil lawsuit.
- BBC — coverage that the footage links the named man to extremist figures and notes gaps in what investigators shared.
- ABC News — report that families hope newly obtained records will illuminate possible Saudi ties.
