Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, families of the victims are pressing the Trump administration to declassify government records they believe provide compelling evidence of Saudi complicity in the attacks. These efforts come as their decade-old lawsuit against the Saudi kingdom moves closer to trial.

The families, through legal action, have obtained records including a video purportedly showing a Saudi national casing the U.S. Capitol two years before the attacks and a sketch from a notebook that they claim depicts calculations for navigating a plane toward a ground target. Brett Eagleson, whose father died in the World Trade Center, described this evidence as "smoking gun evidence."

"Now is the moment, 25 years later, to finally bring resolution," Eagleson said. "And the man that sits in the Oval Office has a historic and a tremendous opportunity to do it." He has sought support from members of the New York congressional delegation to urge the administration to release key documents, such as phone logs purportedly belonging to Omar al-Bayoumi.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., is among those who cosigned a letter to the administration requesting the declassification of these records. "This is probably one of the better shots that we have at getting this information out there," Malliotakis stated. "And I think that hopefully we'll see this type of transparency coming from this administration."

A White House spokesperson told ABC News that "President Trump is leading the most transparent administration in history, and his team is working diligently to identify records that are responsive to these families' request."

Allegations Against Omar al-Bayoumi

The families' legal campaign, which began in 2003, focuses on claims that Omar al-Bayoumi, identified as a Saudi national and alleged intelligence asset, provided "essential support" to two of the hijackers upon their arrival in California in early 2000. According to the lawsuit, al-Bayoumi allegedly assisted the hijackers by helping them find an apartment and providing funds to open a bank account. The families also allege that al-Bayoumi hosted the hijackers at his apartment before their own accommodation was ready.

"He was the man," Eagleson said of al-Bayoumi, whom he claims was "coordinating and directing logistical and financial support to the hijackers."

In 1999, al-Bayoumi reportedly traveled to Washington, D.C., and filmed what the families' lawsuit describes as a "chilling" video of him "'casing' the U.S. Capitol for an attack." The lawsuit asserts that in the video, al-Bayoumi discusses the Capitol's security and its proximity to Reagan National Airport, referencing a "plan."

Furthermore, the families presented a sketch and mathematical equation from al-Bayoumi's notebook, which they argue demonstrates a "line of sight calculation for navigating a plane to a target on the ground." This evidence was reportedly recovered from al-Bayoumi's home in the U.K. during a raid shortly after the 9/11 attacks and later turned over to the FBI.

Attorneys for Saudi Arabia have contested these claims, characterizing the Capitol video as a "tourist video" and the notepad sketch as a "high school math assignment." They maintain that the kingdom is an ally of the United States and an enemy of Al Qaeda, and that al-Bayoumi acted independently, believing he was assisting fellow Saudis without suspecting wrongdoing.

However, a judge overseeing the case ruled last year that the evidence presented by the families was sufficient to proceed to trial. The judge noted that the Saudi explanations were insufficient to overcome the inference of al-Bayoumi's role and the potential involvement of his employer, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, despite a lack of evidence that top Saudi government leaders were aware of the attack plans.

Broader Implications and Declassification Efforts

Experts suggest that the newly revealed evidence could significantly alter public understanding of the 9/11 attacks and subsequent U.S. foreign policy decisions in the Middle East. Daniel Benjamin, a former counterterrorism official, commented that these records "force us to think that our entire theory of what 9-11 was about -- what the whole war on terrorism was about -- was largely mistaken."

In July, Rep. Malliotakis, along with Reps. Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler, wrote to the Public Interest Declassification Board, requesting the declassification of "various phone records and analyses directly relevant to al-Bayoumi's role" in 9/11. This includes records for a cell phone allegedly lent by al-Bayoumi to the hijackers for communication with associates, such as Anwar al-Awlaki.

The families' attorneys believe these records could shed light on the timing and nature of communications between al-Bayoumi and the hijackers, as well as key events during their planning stages. The declassification board responded that it is "actively engaged in interagency consultations" regarding these records and urged patience.