US President Donald Trump says he will consider releasing additional records related to the Sept 11, 2001 attacks after families of victims renewed their demand for greater transparency, particularly over allegations of possible Saudi links to the hijackers.
Trump made the comments on Sept 13 while speaking to reporters in Ireland before returning to the United States.
“I’m going to look at it when I get back,” Trump said when asked about the families’ request.
The remarks came just days after the 25th anniversary of the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people and reshaped US foreign policy, national security and relations across the Middle East.
Families want more records released
Families of 9/11 victims have spent years pushing successive US administrations to release additional documents that they believe could shed light on whether individuals connected to Saudi Arabia assisted some of the hijackers.
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. The Saudi government has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.
The families’ campaign has focused particularly on records that could clarify the activities and possible connections of Saudi nationals who were in contact with two of the hijackers after they arrived in the United States.
For relatives who lost loved ones, the issue remains about more than historical documentation.
They argue that the release of additional records could help establish the full chain of responsibility and support ongoing efforts to hold any parties who provided assistance accountable.
Pressure grows 25 years after the attacks
The renewed push for disclosure comes as the United States marked a quarter-century since the attacks.
At memorial ceremonies across the country, relatives gathered to remember victims whose names have been read annually at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and the crash site in Pennsylvania.
Terry Strada, whose husband was killed in the World Trade Center, has been among the most vocal advocates for releasing additional records.
Victims’ families have argued that too much information remains classified or redacted decades after the attacks and that the public deserves a fuller accounting of what happened.
New records are already being released
The latest pressure on Trump also comes as US authorities have begun releasing additional 9/11-related material.
Earlier in September, the National Archives announced the declassification and public release of long-sought records following years of review.
New York City has also opened a public portal containing about 170,000 pages of records concerning the city’s response to the attacks, including documents related to air quality and health concerns.
The releases have renewed questions about what other federal records may still remain classified.
Saudi Arabia has consistently denied involvement
The allegations concerning Saudi Arabia remain highly sensitive because the kingdom is an important US security partner.
Saudi officials have repeatedly rejected claims that the government supported the 9/11 attacks.
US investigations have also not established that the Saudi government itself ordered or directed the attacks.
However, families have continued to pursue legal action against Saudi Arabia, arguing that individuals connected to Saudi institutions may have assisted members of al-Qaida.
A US federal judge allowed a lawsuit brought by 9/11 victims’ families against Saudi Arabia to proceed, keeping the issue alive more than two decades after the attacks.
Trump faces a decision on transparency
Trump has previously portrayed himself as supportive of declassifying government records surrounding major historical events.
His latest comments therefore offer families another opportunity to press the administration for documents they say could finally answer unresolved questions.
But Trump has not committed to releasing the records, and it remains unclear which documents could ultimately be made public or whether intelligence and national-security concerns would lead to continued redactions.
For families who have spent 25 years seeking answers, however, the president’s willingness to review the request represents a potentially significant opening.
A decision to release more records could provide new information about the events surrounding the attacks — and potentially reignite one of the longest-running disputes over what the US government knew about the foreign connections of the 9/11 hijackers.
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