Information on Saudi Arabia is still partially redacted.
Responding to an executive order issued last week by President Biden, the FBI wing of the Justice Department has declassified certain information stemming from their inquiry into possible links to the 9/11 attacks by Saudi Arabia.
Families of the victims of the terror attacks have long pointed to links such as a former Saudi intelligence officer and a former Saudi consulate officer who are alleged to have had contact with two of the 15 Saudis who were among the 19 hijackers.
The 17 declassified pages are still partially redacted and relate to the FBI’s electronic communication tied to Operation Encore, an FBI investigation into the attacks, which included looking into possible links between the Saudi government and the terrorist attacks that occurred that day. Many names are redacted, allegedly to protect “personally identifiable information.” The information released by the FBI has led the families of 9/11 victims to believe meetings did not occur by chance and that the individuals involved were “significant.”
A report released in 2003 by the 9/11 Commission conceded that “Saudi Arabia has been a problematic ally in combating Islamic extremism” and that “Saudi Arabia’s society was a place where al Qaeda raised money directly from individuals and through charities.” But the report concluded, “It does not appear that any government other than the Taliban financially supported al Qaeda before 9/11…Saudi Arabia has long been considered the primary source of al Qaeda funding, but we have found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded the organization.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For officials at the Department of Justice to uphold the law to the best of their abilities as they conduct investigations and try cases.
- For the director of the FBI as intelligence is gathered and disseminated.
- For the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia and other allies in the Middle East.
Sources: Washington Examiner, CNN, Reuters
