Risking a fierce public backlash and rare congressional rebuke, President Barack Obama vetoed a bill, which allow 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia.

Expressing "deep sympathy" for the families of the victims, Obama said the law would be "detrimental to US national interests."

AFP reported, Terry Strada, whose husband Tom was killed in World Trade Center Tower One, said that, the 9/11 "families are outraged and very disappointed" by Obama's decision. She vowed that the group would now lobby "just as hard as we possibly can" to have Congress overturn the decision.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump described the decision as "shameful."

Trump said that, "That President Obama would deny the parents, spouses and children of those we lost on that horrific day the chance to close this painful chapter in their lives is a disgrace."

"If elected president, I would sign such legislation should it reach my desk."

New York senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat with close ties to Obama and who cosponsored the bill, said that, "This is a disappointing decision that will be swiftly and soundly overturned in Congress."

"If the Saudis did nothing wrong, they should not fear this legislation. If they were culpable in 9/11, they should be held accountable," he said.

Declassified documents showed US intelligence had multiple suspicions about links between the Saudi government and the attackers. A finding showed that, "While in the United States, some of the 9/11 hijackers were in contact with, and received support or assistance from, individuals who may be connected to the Saudi government."

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Nandini