President Biden has been informed that he won't be welcome at events marking the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks unless he declassifies documents that could tie Saudi Arabian leaders to the terrorism. More than 1,800 relatives of victims, first responders, and attack survivors have signed onto the demand, NBC reports. "We cannot in good faith, and with veneration to those lost, sick, and injured, welcome the president to our hallowed grounds until he fulfills his commitment," their statement says. The group maintains that Biden promised as a presidential candidate to release information but has since fallen silent on the issue and been unresponsive to its requests. The White House said Friday that staffers have met with members of the group. "Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones on 9/11," a spokesperson said.
The 9/11 Commission did not find evidence that Saudi leaders were involved in the attack, though its report called Saudi Arabia a "problematic ally." But since the commission ended its work in 2004, the statement says, "much investigative evidence has been uncovered implicating Saudi government officials in supporting the attacks." The commission did find that Saudi nationals funded al-Qaeda, per NBC. The Saudi government has denied involvement; 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 terrorists were Saudis. Some members of the group believe that Saudi leaders knew the attack, which killed about 2,500 people, was planned but didn't try to stop it. Saudi Arabia, which did not issue a comment immediately Friday, faces lawsuits for billions of dollars from victims' families, per the Guardian. Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump also would not declassify the records. (More 9/11 anniversary stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
