United States President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he will consider declassifying protected government documents concerning the September 11 terror attacks. The announcement comes in direct response to emotional public appeals from families of the victims demanding clarity regarding Saudi Arabia’s alleged role in the catastrophe. Trump noted that he would review the matter upon his return to the United States.
Advocacy groups such as “9/11 Families United,” led by Terry Strada, have been pursuing ongoing legal action against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, arguing that the monarchy must be held accountable for the coordinated attacks that claimed 2,977 lives. Speaking at the Ground Zero memorial ceremony, Strada leveled sharp criticism at Riyadh, addressing Vice President JD Vance directly as he represented the Trump administration at the site.
“How is it possible that 25 years have passed, and we still do not have justice for the role Saudi Arabia played in the murder of our loved ones?” Strada asked during her remarks. She added that “administration after administration, including leaders present here today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the families of September 11.” She called on the Saudis to “stop lying” if they genuinely wish to remain strategic partners of the United States.
Fifteen of the 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers who commandeered commercial airliners as guided missiles against the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were Saudi nationals. Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was likewise born in Saudi Arabia, though the kingdom formally stripped him of his citizenship in 1994. The Saudi government has consistently and vehemently denied any involvement or complicity in the terror attacks.
Next month, a federal appeals panel in Manhattan is scheduled to hear oral arguments centering on a shadowy figure, Omar al-Bayoumi—a Saudi national who helped secure housing in California for two of the hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77. A 1999 video, unsealed under court order in 2024, captures al-Bayoumi—who possessed ambiguous state links and extensive official connections—filming the US Capitol while speaking of a coordinated “plan.”
Attorneys representing the victims’ families argue that al-Bayoumi systematically cased the complex, with roughly 30 minutes of the hour-long recording zeroing in on its entry points, showcasing checkpoints, security protocols, and even internal structural pillars. The 2004 9/11 Commission Report concluded that it was highly probable that the US Capitol was the intended target of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Another video, dated February 2000, documents a “welcome party” hosted by al-Bayoumi for future hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar shortly after their relocation to San Diego. The ongoing revelations continue to fuel difficult questions over the extent of foreign complicity and amplify calls for full disclosure.