Trump says he will consider request to release more 9/11 records
By Bo Erickson, Chuck Mikolajczak and David Ljunggren NEW YORK/SHANNON, Ireland, Sept 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would consider a request from relatives of those killed in the September 11 attacks to release more records about the event and whether its perpetrators had ties to Saudi Arabia. "I'm going to look at it when I get back," he told reporters in Ireland…
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump announced he would investigate requests from families of September 11 victims to release records that might clarify Saudi Arabia's possible involvement in the attacks 25 years prior. Several families have persistently claimed that a group of extreme religious leaders in Saudi Arabia exerted influence over the Saudi government and supported the hijackers.
Out of the 19 hijackers, 15 were citizens of Saudi Arabia, yet the Saudi government firmly denied any part in the attacks. The bereaved families appealed to Trump to declassify and expose the pertinent documents. Inquired about the matter on Sunday during his visit to Ireland, the president affirmed he would examine the matter upon his return.
"I'm going to look at it when I get back," Trump stated just before taking off in Air Force One to head back to Washington after a weekend in Ireland. "I know they asked me Friday." The relatives of September 11 victims have been embroiled in a protracted legal confrontation with the Saudis. One such family member, Terry Strada, urged Trump during the remembrance service in New York City on Friday to "tell the Saudis to cease lying."
Strada, who lost her husband Tom Strada on September 11, criticized US presidents for allegedly protecting the Saudis instead of supporting the September 11 families. She emphasized that the current administration should "stand with the families, stand with the survivors." "It has been one betrayal after another," she lamented. "President Trump can still alter that."
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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