Family members of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks called on US President Joe Biden not to attend commemorative events marking the 20th anniversary of the tragedy unless he declassified government documents on the circumstances of the attacks.
About 1,800 people signed a letter with such an appeal. According to them, the documents indicate the involvement of Saudi Arabian officials in the conspiracy, informs BBC.
Investigators said the attacks were carried out by the al-Qaeda terrorist group and provoked the US invasion of Afghanistan. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.
“We cannot honestly and respectfully treat the dead, sick and wounded, and welcome the president to our sacred lands until he fulfills his obligation,” the letter from family members and survivors said.
The administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump have refused to declassify documents, citing national security concerns.
“Twenty years later, there is simply no reason – unfounded claims of ‘national security’ or any other reason – to keep this information secret,” the letter said.
On September 11, 2001, suicide bombers hijacked four American passenger planes. The two crashed into New York City skyscrapers, killing thousands.
The buildings were set on fire, people were trapped on the upper floors. In less than two hours, both 110-story towers collapsed.
Another plane destroyed the west wing of the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. It is believed that the hijackers intended to attack the Capitol building in Washington on it.
Killed 2,977 people, most of them in New York.
The attack remains one of the most traumatic events of the century, not only for Americans but for the entire world.