US President Joe Biden, First Lady to visit sites of 9/11 attacks as tribute to martyrs

To pay their respects to 'the lives lost' during the September 11 attacks in the United States, the White House on Saturday informed that President Joe Biden and the First Lady will travel to all three sites of the attacks. The President on Friday signed an executive order directing the declassification of certain documents related to the 9/11 attacks, a supportive gesture to victims' families who have long sought the records in hopes of implicating the Saudi government. On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda orchestrated terror attacks on the World Trade Centre buildings in New York that killed 2996 people. 

According to the statement by the White House, the President and First Lady- Jill Biden will visit all three sites of the 9/11 attacks - New York City, New York, Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. 

"Ensuring transparency on details of September 11 attacks"

While attaching his commitment to ensuring transparency regarding the declassification of documents on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, President Biden asserted, "today, I signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to oversee a declassification review of documents related to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's September 11th investigations. The executive order requires the Attorney General to release the declassified documents publicly over the next six months”. 

The US President also said that the nation must never forget the “enduring pain” of the families and loved ones of the 2,977 innocent people who were killed during the worst terrorists attack on America in its history. He added that for 20 years, children have grown up without parents and parents have suffered without children, and husbands and wives have had to find a way forward without their partners. Biden said that his heart continues to be with 9/11 families who are suffering.

9/11 attacks

Meanwhile, it is pertinent to mention that family members of the 9/11 victims have long sought US government documents related to whether Saudi Arabia aided or financed any of the 19 people associated with al-Qaeda. The terrorist group had crashed three commercial jet planes into the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Centre and the Pentagon outside Washington DC. A fourth hijacked plane believed to be targetting the US Capitol building, however, had crashed in a Pennsylvania field. 

According to a report by Al Jazeera, fifteen of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. Previously, the US government had found no evidence that Saudi Arabia directly funded al-Qaeda. However, families of roughly 2,500 of those killed and over 20,000 people who suffered injuries are suing Saudi Arabia for billions of dollars.