Biden orders release of secret 9/11 documents

WASHINGTON: A week before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, President Joe Biden has directed the Justice Department to declassify documents related to the terrorist attacks.

The president signed an executive order in this regard on Friday. It requires the Attorney General to release the declassified documents publicly over the next six months. The families of the 9/11 victims have long sought the information in hopes of implicating an important middle eastern government. The families wrote a letter to the White House asking Biden not to attend memorial events if the documents were not declassified.

"We must never forget the enduring pain of the families and loved ones of the 2,977 innocent people who were killed during the worst terrorist attacks on America in our history," Biden said in a statement.

The executive order stated that the significant events in question occurred two decades ago or longer, and they concern a tragic moment that continues to resonate in American history and in the lives of so many Americans. "It is therefore critical to ensure that the United States government maximises transparency, relying on classification only when narrowly tailored and necessary," the order said.

The executive order directs the Justice Department and other agencies to begin the review and declares that all declassified information must be released over the next six months.