worldpaper

Updated: Jul 03, 2016 06:21 IST

WASHINGTON: Amid the clamour a year ago to release the still-secret 28 pages of a congressional inquiry into the September 11 terror attacks, the US government quietly declassified a little-known report, listing more than three dozen people who piqued the interest of investigators probing possible Saudi connections to the hijackers.

The document, known as “File 17,” offers clues to what might be in the missing pages of the bipartisan report about 9/11.

“Much of the information upon which File 17 was written was based on what’s in the 28 pages,” said former Democratic senator Bob Graham of Florida, co-chairman of the congressional inquiry. He believes the hijackers had an extensive Saudi support system while they were in the United States.

“File 17 said, ‘Here are some additional unanswered questions and here is how we think the 9/11 Commission, the FBI and the CIA should go about finding the answers,’ ”Graham said.

Former President George W Bush classified the 28-page chapter to protect intelligence sources and methods, although he also probably did not want to upset US relations with Saudi Arabia, a close ally. Two years ago, under pressure from the families of those killed or injured in the attack, President Barack Obama ordered a declassification review of the 28 pages. It’s unclear when all or some may be released.

File 17, first disclosed by 28 pages.org, an advocacy website, names people the hijackers were in contact with in the US before the attacks. Some were Saudi diplomats, raising questions about whether Saudi officials knew about the plot.

The 9/11 Commission’s final report stated that it found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded” al-Qaeda.

“This conclusion does not exclude the likelihood that charities with significant Saudi government sponsorship diverted funds to al-Qaida,” the report said. Releasing the 28 pages might answer some questions, but could also lead to more speculation about the key Saudi figures investigated by the US.