THE White House is considering releasing a 'secret chapter' from the inquiry into 9/11 that will show Saudi Arabian involvement in the terrorist attacks.
President George W. Bush decided to withhold the 28-page section of the report in what was believed to be an effort to soothe strained tensions between the US and its oil-state ally.
But outgoing president Barack Obama is understood to be likely to publish the potentially damaging document, which is under lock and key in the basement of the Capitol building in Washington DC.
It is known that the extract contains information about "specific sources of foreign support for some of the September 11 hijackers while they were in the United States".
And the man who conducted the 832-report, Senator Bob Graham, confirmed he has been told American intelligence services will make a decision on its release within weeks.
The former Democratic senator from Florida said: "I hope that decision is to honour the American people and make it available.
"The most important unanswered question of 9/11 is, did these 19 people conduct this very sophisticated plot alone, or were they supported?"
Another high-ranking US politician who worked on the inquiry and has read the secret chapter three times is Tim Roemer, an ex-Democratic congressman.
He said: “There were clues. There were allegations. There were witness reports. There was evidence about the hijackers, about people they met with - all kinds of different things that the 9/11 Commission was then tasked with reviewing and investigating.”
The 2001 attacks killed almost 3,000 civilians when three hijacked American Airlines planes crashed into high-profile buildings, while another was ditched into the ground when passengers fought back against the hijackers.
Al-Qaeda, an Islamic terrorist group led by Saudi-born Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the atrocities.
Two of the planes slammed into New York’s iconic World Trade Center skyscrapers.
Both buildings collapsed leaving thousands dead as a cloud of toxic dust engulfed the city.
Another plane left more than a hundred dead when it hit the Pentagon in Washington.
The fourth aircraft, believed to be heading for either the White House or the Capitol building, crashed in a field near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The 2002 report into the attacks found no evidence of a Saudi government conspiracy.
However, of the 19 hijackers, 15 hailed from the Middle Eastern power player.
And while the report did not accuse the oil-state of sponsoring the attack, it did not absolve it of all responsibility.
Roemer added: “We did not discover Saudi government involvement at the highest level of the 9/11 attacks.
“But we certainly did not exonerate the Saudis. Saudi was a fertile ground for fundraising for al-Qaeda.
“Some of these issues continue to be problems today. That's why we need to continue to get to the bottom of this.”
President George W. Bush decided to withhold the 28-page section of the report in what was believed to be an effort to soothe strained tensions between the US and its oil-state ally.
But outgoing president Barack Obama is understood to be likely to publish the potentially damaging document, which is under lock and key in the basement of the Capitol building in Washington DC.
It is known that the extract contains information about "specific sources of foreign support for some of the September 11 hijackers while they were in the United States".
And the man who conducted the 832-report, Senator Bob Graham, confirmed he has been told American intelligence services will make a decision on its release within weeks.
The former Democratic senator from Florida said: "I hope that decision is to honour the American people and make it available.
"The most important unanswered question of 9/11 is, did these 19 people conduct this very sophisticated plot alone, or were they supported?"
Another high-ranking US politician who worked on the inquiry and has read the secret chapter three times is Tim Roemer, an ex-Democratic congressman.
He said: “There were clues. There were allegations. There were witness reports. There was evidence about the hijackers, about people they met with - all kinds of different things that the 9/11 Commission was then tasked with reviewing and investigating.”
The 2001 attacks killed almost 3,000 civilians when three hijacked American Airlines planes crashed into high-profile buildings, while another was ditched into the ground when passengers fought back against the hijackers.
Al-Qaeda, an Islamic terrorist group led by Saudi-born Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the atrocities.
Two of the planes slammed into New York’s iconic World Trade Center skyscrapers.
Both buildings collapsed leaving thousands dead as a cloud of toxic dust engulfed the city.
Another plane left more than a hundred dead when it hit the Pentagon in Washington.
The fourth aircraft, believed to be heading for either the White House or the Capitol building, crashed in a field near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The 2002 report into the attacks found no evidence of a Saudi government conspiracy.
However, of the 19 hijackers, 15 hailed from the Middle Eastern power player.
And while the report did not accuse the oil-state of sponsoring the attack, it did not absolve it of all responsibility.
Roemer added: “We did not discover Saudi government involvement at the highest level of the 9/11 attacks.
“But we certainly did not exonerate the Saudis. Saudi was a fertile ground for fundraising for al-Qaeda.
“Some of these issues continue to be problems today. That's why we need to continue to get to the bottom of this.”
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