‘Not Giving Up’ 20 Years Later, Families of Maryland 9/11 Victims Still Demanding Answers About Who Funded Terror Attacks

2 years ago 415

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — For 2 decades, immoderate Maryland families who mislaid loved ones connected 9/11 person been warring for answers. They privation entree to presently concealed U.S. authorities documents that they judge volition supply a nexus betwixt the hijackers and the Saudi Arabian government, which they allege provided fiscal and different enactment to transportation retired the attacks.

“They are precise acrophobic determination has not been a afloat airing of the facts,” Towson-based lawyer Keith Franz told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren.

Franz represents 14 families. Most of them are from Maryland, and galore of their loved ones died successful the onslaught connected the Pentagon. They are suing the Saudi authorities for damages, claiming the Saudis helped concern and enactment the Al Qaeda panic plot.

“They privation to cognize however it was imaginable for these 19 hijackers—15 were Saudi nationals—how was it they were allowed to integrate into American life? How did they get their logistical enactment to transportation retired deeds connected September 11th?” Franz said.

In the weeks starring up to 9/11, immoderate of the hijackers were secretly grooming successful cardinal Maryland for the panic attack.

“Yes, successful Laurel for an extended play of time. They improved logistics and reconnaissance during that period,” Franz said.

The families got a interruption erstwhile the Biden Administration, fulfilling a run promise, ordered the reappraisal and imaginable merchandise of classified FBI documents.

“We’re going to beryllium capable to capable successful the blanks with this antecedently state-secret, privileged information,” Franz said. He noted immoderate of the documents could beryllium released arsenic aboriginal arsenic the 9/11 20th day this weekend.

The Saudi authorities said successful a connection to CBS News that they “had thing to bash with this unspeakable crime” and they enactment the “full declassification of immoderate documents.”

The 9/11 Commission besides recovered nary nonstop nexus betwixt the Saudi authorities and the attacks.

But Franz and his clients are undeterred.

“These families aren’t going to springiness up,” helium said. “Under U.S. law, those who enactment terrorists, fiscal oregon otherwise, are culpable for the crimes themselves.”

Franz told WJZ his clients could person settlements of $25 cardinal to $35 cardinal each done the U.S. Victim of State-Sponsored Terrorism Fund if a nexus tin beryllium proven. But helium said this is not astir money.

“Accountability has ever been the watchword. It is indispensable the American nationalist knows precisely what were the connections— however were the Saudis implicated. This is not conscionable for the payment of the 9/11 families. It’s for the payment of each United States citizens, and it should assistance signifier our overseas diplomacy arsenic well.”

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In effect to the president’s determination to declassify immoderate of the documents, the FBI said successful a connection to CBS News that it volition “continue to enactment successful coordination with the Department of Justice and different agencies to declassify and merchandise documents related to the 9/11 investigation.”