Ten thousand pages of RFK assassination records released

About 10,000 pages of records related to the assassination of Robert F Kennedy (RFK) nearly 60 years ago have been released publicly for the first time.

The senator, who was the brother of US president John F Kennedy (JFK), was shot dead at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on 6 June 1968, moments after giving his victory speech for winning California's Democratic presidential primary. His assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, was convicted of first-degree murder and is serving life in prison.

RFK's assassination, much like his brother's in 1963, has been the subject of much speculation. His son, Robert F Kennedy Jr, previously said he believed his father was killed by multiple gunmen, an assertion that contradicts official accounts.

After the documents were released on Friday, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said they would "shine a long-overdue light on the truth". Many files related to the senator's assassination had already been released, but the ones posted to the US National Archives and Records Administration on Friday had not been digitised and sat for decades in storage facilities maintained by the federal government.

The move is a continuation of the release of historic withheld files ordered by US President Donald Trump, in an apparent bid to prove the transparency of his administration. It started when he signed an executive order back in January for the release of thousands of files about JFK's assassination, many of which were made public in March.

The files gave readers more details about the US's covert operations during the Cold War-era, but did not lend legitimacy to any of the many conspiracy theories surrounding the former president's death. Read more:Robert F Kennedy Jr: Who is Donald Trump's health chief?Trump teases date for 'even more important' second UK state visit RFK Jr, who is also Mr Trump's health secretary, commended the president and Ms Gabbard for their "courage" and "dogged efforts" to release the files.

"Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government," he said in a statement. In a statement, Ms Gabbard said: "Nearly 60 years after the tragic assassination of senator Robert F Kennedy, the American people will, for the first time, have the opportunity to review the federal government's investigation thanks to the leadership of president Trump." Lawyers for RFK's killer have been pushing for his release for decades, saying he is unlikely to reoffend or pose a danger to society.

A parole board deemed Sirhan suitable for release in 2022, but California governor Gavin Newsom rejected the decision in 2022, keeping him in state prison. A different panel denied him release in 2023, saying he still lacked insight into what caused him to shoot RFK..