The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Saturday released the first document related to the September 11 terrorist attacks investigation and suspected Saudi Arabia support to the hijackers. This comes after US President Joe Biden issued an executive order directing the agency to declassify all the 9/11 documents. The FBI is expected to release several documents in the coming days. 

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The newly released document questions the role of the Saudi government in the attacks and provides details of the FBI’s work to investigate the alleged logistical support by a Saudi government official and a suspected Saudi intelligence agent in Los Angeles to at least two men who were involved in the hijacking of planes on September 11, 2001, reported CNN. 

The document was prepared in 2016 and was released on the 20th anniversary of the deadly attacks still contains significant redactions.

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In the document, multiple connections and witness testimony that led the FBI to Omar al-Bayoumi are given. He was reportedly a Saudi student in Los Angeles whom the security agency suspected to be a Saudi intelligence agent. The FBI document describes Bayoumi as deeply involved in providing ‘travel assistance, lodging and financing’ to help the two hijackers

Meanwhile, the Saudi embassy in Washington, DC, welcomed the declassification of the document denying the claims of any involvement by the Saudi government. 

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“Any allegation that Saudi Arabia is complicit in the September 11 attacks is categorically false,” the embassy said.

President Joe Biden‘s executive order calling for the release of all 9/11 attack related documents came after more than 1,600 people affected by the attacks sent Biden a letter asking him not to visit any of the memorials or Ground Zero in New York to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks unless the information is released.

Soon after the release, the US Department of Justice said it will review as to what withheld the declassification of 9/11 documents till now, reported CNN.