U.S. officials pledged on Monday to conduct a review of sealed documents related to the September 11, 2001 attacks to determine what can be released, a repeated demand from some victims' relatives. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York stating that it has "decided to review" its authority regarding the non-disclosure of certain sensitive documents and "will identify additional information suitable for release." The letter added that FBI agents "will disclose such information on an ongoing basis and as quickly as possible."
The FBI's commitment is part of a legal battle that relatives of 9/11 victims are waging against Saudi Arabia and other countries they believe are complicit. During various stages of litigation, successive U.S. administrations have relied on laws protecting state secrets to withhold some documents. However, Biden welcomed in a statement the review to be conducted by the Department of Justice, saying, "As I pledged during my campaign, my administration is committed to ensuring the highest possible level of transparency under the law, while adhering to strict guidelines [...] regarding the privilege of protecting state secrets."
The United States is preparing to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with an official ceremony scheduled in New York, attended by Biden. Last week, some victims' relatives, survivors of the attacks, and rescue team members sent a letter stating that Biden would not be welcomed at the ceremony "until he fulfills his pledge." The letter called for the release of all documents and information "that our government has gathered through its investigations" which are said to link Saudi Arabia to the attacks. U.S. media reported that about 1,700 people signed the letter.
However, the announcement received by the court regarding the review of documents was met with skepticism by victims' relatives on Monday. Brett Eagleson, the son of one of the attack victims, stated, "Unfortunately [...] we have heard many empty promises before." He added that U.S. authorities and the FBI "can act immediately to release the documents."
