FBI releases declassified documents on Sept. 11 attacks

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By ERIC TUCKER, NOMAAN MERCHANT and BEN FOX

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI released hundreds of pages of newly declassified documents Wednesday about its long effort to explore connections between the Saudi government and the Sept. 11 attacks, revealing the scope of a strenuous but ultimately fruitless investigation whose outcome many question to this day.

Agents for well over a decade investigated support given to several of the hijackers upon their arrival in the U.S., focusing in particular on whether three Saudi nationals — including a Saudi Embassy official in Washington — had advance knowledge of the attacks.

Ultimately, investigators found insufficient evidence to charge any of the three with illegally supporting the hijackers, according to an FBI memo from May that closed out the probe and was among the more than 700 pages released Wednesday. The FBI noted in the memo that al-Qaida compartmentalized the roles within its major attacks and “did not make the attack plans known in advance to others” for fear of word getting out.

“Specifically, in relation to the 9/11 attacks, the hijackers knew there was a martyrdom operation, but did not know about the nature of the operation until shortly before the attack for operational security reasons,” the FBI memo states. It’s not clear how the FBI reached this conclusion since all the hijackers died in the attack.



FILE - A firefighter places his hand on the name engravings on the south pool during ceremonies to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Sept. 11, 2021, at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York. The FBI released hundreds of pages of newly declassified documents Wednesday, Nov. 3, about its long effort to explore connections between the Saudi government and the Sept. 11 attacks, revealing the scope of a strenuous but ultimately fruitless investigation whose outcome many question to this day. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/al-qaida-a5c1c5f79442507c82a0ca7ed287c36e

[Bayard]

1. Good question

"It’s not clear how the FBI reached this conclusion since all the hijackers died in the attack."

With all the years spent in investigation, I would think they'd come up with a better report. Maybe future releases will be more revealing.

[Ford_Prefect]

2. And yet the Bush/Cheney team knew enough to round up selected important Saudi citizens and

officials and their families, and escort them to the plane to Riyadh. All this while the US was on lockdown and no other non-military planes were flying.

It just makes you wonder who wrote the passenger list and told them to send armed escorts to protect them. How would civilians decide those particular Saudis were related to the September 11 incidents when the press was blaring out they were perpetrated by Afghan Terrorists rather than by rich Saudi elites?

This same courtesy was not extended to people of any class from other middle eastern states.

[lark]

3. shrub officials say they found no evidence - was it because they were told to do this?

Like drumpf limited investigation of Kavanaugh to make it non-existent, I think this was very targeted not findings. to hide what bushes knew on & before 9/11.