September 11: Biden moves towards declassification of investigation documents
US President Joe Biden during a press conference September 3, 2021 at the White House in Washington.
AP - Susan Walsh
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
The American president signed an executive order ordering the declassification of the archives of the federal police investigation into the attacks of September 11, 2001. The decision comes one week before the commemoration of the attacks.
Advertising
Read more
With our correspondent in Washington,
Guillaume Naudin
“
Joe Biden will not be welcome at the 9/11 commemoration ceremony if he does not keep his promise.
It was in early August in a letter published by families of victims of the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.
During the 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden promised to ensure transparency for families.
Some of them have embarked on a legal battle against Saudi Arabia and other states they suspect of complicity in the attacks.
They believe that documents could help them prove it in court.
►
To read also: September 11: the families of victims request the declassification of all documents
Declassification not automatic
But successive American governments have always invoked state secrecy in order not to publish these documents.
Joe Biden is therefore the first to want to break the silence.
He ordered the Minister of Justice and relevant agencies to oversee a review of the documents from the FBI investigation.
The procedure may take up to six months.
But declassification will not be automatic and some information considered vital to national security may remain secret.
►
To listen: Kofi Annan facing the World Trade Center attacks (9 & 10)
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
United States
Joe biden
September 11, 2001
On the same subject
September 11: families of victims demand declassification of all documents
Africa Archives
Kofi Annan facing the World Trade Center attacks (9 & 10)