Family members of victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have urged President Joe Biden to stay away from memorial events unless he declassifies files on the attacks.
Nearly 1,800 people signed a letter asking him to release documents they believe involved Saudi Arabian authorities in the plot.
If he refuses, he must not attend next month’s ceremonies to celebrate his 20th birthday.
Nearly 3,000 people died on September 11th.
The attacks were committed by the terrorist group Al Qaeda, investigators say, and sparked the US invasion of Afghanistan. Fifteen of the 19 plane hijackers were Saudi nationals.
“We cannot, in good faith and with veneration for the lost, the sick and the wounded, welcome the president into our sacred ground until he fulfills his commitment,” reads the letter from family members, first responders, and survivors.
They urge President Biden to stay away from the three locations where the attacks took place – in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a news conference that Biden remained committed to his pledge as a candidate “to work constructively on resolving issues related to the invocation of the privilege of state secrets by previous governments.”
White House officials had several meetings with the families, she added.
Families have long argued that Saudi authorities had prior knowledge of the attack and did nothing to stop it. They sued the Saudi Arabian government, which denied being involved.
Last month, the lawsuit saw several former Saudi officials challenged under oath. The testimonies remain sealed, further disturbing the families.
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“Since the conclusion of the Sept. 11 Commission in 2004, much investigative evidence has been uncovered involving Saudi government officials in support of the attacks,” the statement from the families continued.
“Through various administrations, the Department of Justice and the FBI have actively sought to keep this information secret and to prevent the American people from knowing the full truth about the 9/11 attacks.”
The governments of George W Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump also refused to release the documents, citing national security concerns.
“Twenty years later, there is simply no reason – undeserved allegations of ‘national security or otherwise – to keep this information secret,” the group writes. “But if President Biden were to renege on his commitment and side with the Saudi government, we would be forced to publicly oppose any participation by his government in any 9/11 commemorative ceremony.”
Sept. 11 families tell Biden to skip the memorial if he doesn’t release the files
Family members of victims of the September 11 attacks are opposing US President Joe Biden’s participation in memorial events unless he declassifies government documents they claim to show Saudi Arabia’s leaders supported the attacks.
The victims’ families, accompanied by first responders and survivors of the attack, released a letter on Friday, as the event’s 20th-anniversary approaches, urging Biden to skip this year’s memorial events unless he releases the documents.
“Twenty years later, there is simply no reason – undeserved allegations of ‘national security or otherwise – to keep this information secret,” the letter states. “But if President Biden were to renege on his commitment and side with the Saudi government, we would be forced to publicly oppose any participation by his government in any 9/11 commemorative ceremony.”
In total, around 1,700 people directly affected by the September 11 attacks signed the letter.
The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a news conference that Biden remained committed to his pledge as a candidate “to work constructively on resolving issues related to the invocation of the privilege of state secrets by previous governments.”
White House officials had several meetings with the families, she added.
Families of 9/11 victims have long sought US government documents on whether Saudi Arabia aided or financed any of the 19 people associated with al Qaeda who carried out the devastating attack, bringing down planes against New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon outside Washington, and a field in Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people died.
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. A US government commission found no evidence that Saudi Arabia directly financed al Qaeda. It left it open whether individual employees could have done this.
Saudi Arabia is being sued for billions of dollars by the families of some 2,500 of the dead and by more than 20,000 injured people, companies, and various insurance companies.
