US deciding whether to disclose name in 9/11-Saudi suit

The Justice Department is deciding whether to disclose a name sought by the plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit that seeks to link the government of Saudi Arabia to the 9/11 attacks.

Attorney General William Barr faces a deadline later Friday to withhold or release the name contained in recently released FBI files. Barr may invoke a rarely used national security provision to keep it hidden.

Lawyers in the 9/11 lawsuit believe the name may be a Saudi official who oversaw two other men who provided assistance to two of the hijackers in Southern California.

The suit filed by injured victims, families of victims and others alleges Saudi government employees knowingly assisted the hijacking plot. The Saudi government has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack.