WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSLS 10) - A congressional report about alleged ties between the September 11th hijackers and the Saudi Arabian government is expected to be released online as early as Friday.
The secret documents, known as the "28 pages," explore the alleged involvement of prominent Saudi citizens in helping plan and finance the terror attacks.
According to current and former government officials, the pages contain inflammatory passages but do not prove a Saudi government link to the Al Qaeda terror operation.
The secret document was part of a 2002 congressional investigation into the 2001 attack and has been classified since the report's completion.
Congressional officials say there are still some procedural steps that need to be taken before the release, which members of both parties and family members of victims have been seeking for years.
Former Senator Bob Graham, who chaired the committee that carried out the investigation and has been pushing the White House to release the pages, said Thursday he was "very pleased" by the news.
"It is going to increase the questioning of the Saudis' role supporting the hijackers," Graham told CNN. "I think of this almost as the 28 pages are sort of the cork in the wine bottle. And once it's out, hopefully the rest of the wine itself will start to pour out."
Graham added, "Would the U.S. government have kept information that was just speculation away from American people for 14 years if somebody didn't think it was going to make a difference?"
In 2014, President Barack Obama ordered declassification of the redacted pages under mounting public pressure.
Sources say that intelligence agencies, law enforcement and the State Department have all reviewed and approved the release of the pages with "minimal redactions."
The Saudi Arabian government has also pushed for the pages to be declassified to help clear up what it calls unfounded allegations.