(CNN) CIA chief John Brennan says that he believes 28 redacted pages of a congressional inquiry into 9/11 will soon be made public, and that they will prove that the government of Saudi Arabia had no involvement in the September 11 attacks.
The families of those killed in the attacks have long wanted the pages from the 2002 report -- officially titled the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 -- made public.
There had been widespread speculation that these pages concern Saudi Arabia, its wealthy citizens and the financing of terrorist operations.
But whatever was actually contained in those 28 pages was ultimately redacted from the report, and the families have been waiting 14 years to read the government's conclusions.
Brennan, in an interview with the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV network, said that the pages were part of a "preliminary" joint inquiry that was published in 2002 -- just a year after 9/11. The inquiry at the time had tried to "pull together bits and pieces of information reporting about who was responsible for 9/11."
Following this initial report, he said, the 9/11 commission "looked very thoroughly at these allegations of Saudi involvement, Saudi government involvement and... their conclusion was that there was no evidence to indicate that the Saudi government as an institution -- or as senior Saudi officials individually -- had supported the 9/11 attacks."
"I think it's good that (the pages) come out."
He said subsequent reviews and assessments "really have shown that it was very, very unfortunate that these attacks took place. But this was the work of al Qaeda, of Bin Laden, (current al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri), and others of that ilk."
The FBI's most wanted terrorists
Adam Yahiye Gadahn, an alleged al Qaeda propagandist from California, was indicted in 2006 on charges of treason and offering material support for terrorism. He was believed to be killed in January in a U.S. counterterrorism operation.
Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, was killed in January, 2015 by security forces in the Philippines,
DNA tests indicate. Marwan, an engineer trained in the United States, was thought to be a leading member of the southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, the FBI said. He was indicted in California in 2007. The indictment accuses him of being a supplier of IEDs to terrorist organizations, and having conducted bomb-making training for terror groups, including the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf.
Liban Haji Mohamed, a Somali-American,
was arrested in southern Somalia, Somali intelligence officials said March 3. The FBI's list of most wanted terrorists is limited to suspects indicted by federal grand juries. It does not include prominent figures such as ISIS leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and alleged AQAP bomb-maker
Ibrahim Al Asiri.
Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, considered a senior figure in al Qaeda by the FBI, was indicted in New York in 2010 over a plot to bomb the city's subway system. Pakistan's army
said it killed him in a December 2014 raid.
According to the FBI, suspects on the list will remain wanted unless charges are dropped or they are proven "with 100% accuracy" to be dead.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, longtime deputy and physician for Osama bin Laden, took over al Qaeda after bin Laden's death in 2011. He was indicted for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Africa.
Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian who is believed to be a high-ranking
al Qaeda member, is wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of two U.S. Embassies in east Africa, the FBI said.
The FBI is offering up to $5 million for information on
Abdul Rahman Yasin. He's alleged to have been a part of the 1993 world Trade Center bombing, which killed six people.
Joanne Chesimard, a New Yorker now known as "Assata Shakur" and living in Cuba, is wanted in the 1973 killing of Trooper Werner Foerster on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Daniel Andreas San Diego, an American animal rights activist, is charged with bombing two corporate offices in California in 2003. The blasts caused extensive property damage but no deaths.
Jehad Mostafa, who was born in Wisconsin and went to college in California, is wanted for his alleged terrorist activities and serving as a member of the Somalia-based al-Shabaab, the FBI said.
Ahmad Abousamra, who holds dual U.S. and Syrian citizenship, is wanted by the FBI on terrorism charges issued in 2009. They include providing material support to terrorists.
Jamal al-Badawi is wanted in connection with the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, which killed 17 U.S. sailors.
Jaber Elbaneh is charged with providing material support to terrorists as a member of a cell in Lackawanna, New York, the FBI said. He was among those who escaped from a Yemen prison in 2006.
Muhammad Ahmed Al-Munawar was indicted in Washington for an alleged role in the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan, the FBI said. Twenty people were killed.
Wadoud Muhammad Hafiz Al-Turki was indicted in Washington for an alleged role in the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan, the FBI said. Twenty people were killed.
Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim was indicted in Washington for an alleged role in the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan, the FBI said.
Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, a former instructor at the University of South Florida, was named by the United States as a terrorist in 1995 and indicted in Florida in 2003. He was secretary-general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the FBI said.
Abd Al Aziz Awda was named by the United States as a designated terrorist in 1995 and indicted in Florida in 2003. The FBI said he is a founder and spiritual leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Mohammed Ali Hamadi, a Hezbollah militant from Lebanon, is wanted in connection with the 1985 hijacking of a U.S. jetliner during which a U.S. Navy diver was killed, the FBI said.
Hasan Izz-Al-Din, from Lebanon, is also wanted in connection with the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847, the FBI said, during which U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem was beaten, shot and dumped on a tarmac.
Ali Atwa, an alleged member of the Lebanese Hezbollah, is also wanted in connection with the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847, the FBI said.
Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed Al-Nasser was indicted in Virginia in connection with the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. He was the alleged leader of the Saudi Hezbollah, the FBI said.
Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Mughassil was indicted in Virginia in connection with the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. He was the alleged head of the military wing of the Saudi Hezbollah, the FBI said.
Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub was indicted in Virginia in connection with the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. He was an alleged member of the Saudi Hezbollah, the FBI said.
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah was indicted for his alleged involvement in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.
The U.S. State Department is offering a $5 million reward for
Husayn Muhammad Al-Umari, for allegedly making a bomb and placing it on a Pan Am flight in 1982. A 16-year-old was killed and 16 others were injured.
Raddulan Sahiron, a Filipino, is wanted for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of an American in the Philippines in 1993, the FBI said.
Isnilon Totoni Hapilon, an alleged member of the Philippine Islamic Abu Sayyaf rebel group, was indicted in 2002 in connection with the kidnappings and deaths of Americans and Filipinos, the FBI said.
Opinion: U.S. and Saudi Arabia, trapped in a bad marriage
Calls for declassification
In May, Tim Roemer, a former member of the 9/11 Commission, called for the public release of the classified pages.
"I am strongly in favor of declassifying this information as quickly as possible," Roemer told a House committee. "The 9/11 families deserve it, the American people deserve it, and justice deserves it. We have the right to transparency and sunlight -- not the darkness."
Texas Rep. Ted Poe, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on terrorism echoed Roemer's call, noting that some analysts say that followers of Wahhabi Islam might be more disposed to feel sympathetic to terrorist groups.
The Saudi government long wanted to clear the air of rumors and false allegations and has been calling for the declassification and release of those pages since 2003.
The House Foreign Affairs committee held a hearing in May on a controversial bill passed by the Senate that would create rights for victims of the 9/11 terror attacks to sue the country of Saudi Arabia.
At the time, White House press secretary Josh Earnest renewed the threat that President Barack Obama will veto the bill, saying it "would change long standing international law regarding sovereign immunity."
The Saudi government had warned of economic reprisals if Congress passed the 9/11 bill.
Opinion: Law to enable 9/11 suits vs. Saudi Arabia is right and proper
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect the 28 redacted pages are from a congressional inquiry on 9/11.