Trump admin. to reveal Saudi Arabia that would have helped the terrorists of September 11

President Donald Trump faces increasing pressure to react more forcefully to the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Mark Wilson / Getty Images

• The Trump administration will publish the name of a Saudi official who allegedly helped the hijackers of September 11th.
• The name will not be made public for the moment, but to the family members of the victims of the attacks.
• This decision goes against the firm support of President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia, despite bipartisan calls asking him to rethink relations with the kingdom after the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, and the war in Yemen.
• Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.

The Trump administration plans to provide the identity of a Saudi official who allegedly helped the 9/11 hijackers to family members of the victims of the terrorist attacks that took place 18 years ago.

The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

Family members of the victims lobbied the Trump administration for it to disclose the information. In a recent letter to President Trump, they urged him to "urge Attorney General Barr not to invoke privileges and provide us with the FBI documents so that we can finally know the whole truth and seek justice from him." Saudi Arabia ".

The FBI said it would disclose the identity of the Saudi official of the families of the most wanted victims, according to the newspaper report, citing the "exceptional nature of the case". Other information sought by families will not be disclosed.

Read more: A senior Democratic senator accuses Trump of being too "soft" with Saudi Arabia because of his business ties with the kingdom

The name of the Saudi official will be revealed to lawyers representing family members, but will not be released publicly for the moment, CNN reported. Barr made the final decision to publish the name.

This is linked to a lawsuit filed by family members against Saudi Arabia, which alleges involvement in the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001. The vast majority of pirates in the country are believed to be at large. air that perpetrated the terrorist attacks of September 11 – 15 out of 19 – came from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has repeatedly denied any involvement in these attacks.

In 2018, families subpoenaed the FBI to obtain an uncommitted version of a four-page summary of an investigation into three people likely to have helped two of the pirates of the United States. September 11 air.

An FBI official told Insider: "The plaintiffs' subpoena covers broad categories of documents relating to the FBI's ongoing investigations into the September 11th attacks." The complainants made it clear that their priority was one of the following: Obtaining information regarding the identity of an individual mentioned in an FBI report indicates having potentially charged two Saudi officials, Fahad al-Thumairy and Omar al-Bayoumi, to assist two of the pirates of the country. Air. "

The official said the FBI's response to the subpoena "is ongoing and that other documents should be produced in the future".

"The main priorities of the FBI are the protection and defense of the United States against the threats of terrorism and foreign intelligence," added the official. "In order to fulfill its mission, the FBI must protect, among other things, confidential information and intelligence relating to investigations, sources and methods, information obtained from foreign partners and any other information the disclosure of which could be detrimental to national security."

President Donald Trump has been regularly criticized in Washington for his unwavering support for Saudi Arabia and his de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Justice Department's decision to disclose the name of the Saudi official. goes against this trend.

Prince Mohammed was reported to have ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi national who had written for the Washington Post. The assassination of Khashoggi provoked outrage at Capitol Hill and, coupled with concerns over Saudi Arabia's role in the war in Yemen, bipartisan calls were made for the United States to re-evaluate its relationship with Yemen. the kingdom.