Though the Justice Department Thursday said it would declassify the name of a suspect accused of aiding hijackers in the attacks, lawyers will not be allowed to release the name publicly. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The Justice Department will declassify the name of an individual accused of assisting two hijackers involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a court filing released Thursday.
The name the Justice Department will release stems from a four-page summary from a 2012 FBI investigation into three people who allegedly helped two of the Southern California hijackers find a place to live as well as provided financial assistance and helped obtain flight lessons and driver's licenses.
The names of the other two men, Fahad al-Thumair and Omar Ahmed al-Bayoumi, had already been released and have been connected to the government of Saudi Arabia in earlier reports.
Families of 9/11 victims have sought the release of the third name as part of a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia over allegations of the country's involvement in the attacks.
The name will be disclosed to lawyers for the plaintiffs but they will be prevented from releasing the name to the public.
The FBI described the name as "the primary piece of information that the plaintiffs in the 9/11 litigation have been seeking."
By choosing to declassify the name, the Justice Department declined to call upon the "state secrets" privilege, which allows the government to refuse to release information in lawsuits it deems could undermine national security.
Terry Strada, chair of the 9/11 Families and Survivors United For Justice Against Terrorism, described the decision as a good result.
"The families are dedicated to getting to the truth and we shouldn't have to beg for this sort of basic information or be kept in the dark about the Saudi role in the attacks," Strada said.
