Declassified CIA documents, released 25 years after the September 11 attacks, reveal that U.S. intelligence agencies had been warned of al-Qaeda’s intentions.
The CIA declassified approximately 70 briefing documents for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, which pertain to the years leading up to the terrorist attacks.
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Among them is a warning dated September 10, 1998, according to which al-Qaeda “may fly an airplane loaded with explosives into an American city.”
CIA documents
In 2001, bin Laden was mentioned in at least 18 separate entries in the daily intelligence briefings for then-U.S. President George W. Bush, from the intelligence agencies, seven of which reached his office weeks before the attack on the Twin Towers.
A memo dated July 24, 2001, stated, in fact, that an “anticipated and imminent” operation by Bin Laden had been postponed, while warning that other attacks might still be in the works.
The documents were released by the CIA to mark the 25th anniversary of the killing of nearly 3,000 people in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania.
The documents reinforce the findings of the 9/11 Commission, according to which U.S. intelligence agencies had received repeated warnings about al-Qaeda’s intentions.
However, intelligence officials acknowledged that the warnings did not reflect the scale of the planned attack.
“Bin Laden Was Planning a Hijacking”
A document dated December 4, 1998, during the Bill Clinton administration, is titled: “Bin Laden is preparing to hijack a U.S. aircraft and carry out other attacks.”
The warning was part of a September 10, 1998, report drafted for senior officials in the Clinton administration who had clearance to access the president’s classified morning briefing, according to the *Wall Street Journal*.
Titled “Bin Laden’s Location and Intentions,” the report did not specify a date or target, but made it clear that the Al-Qaeda leader had Washington in his sights. Three years later, the terrorist attacks took place, during which the Pentagon was also struck.
According to an anonymous source, Osama bin Laden and his associates were planning attacks against the U.S., “including the hijacking of an aircraft,” with the aim of freeing prisoners. The operation was reportedly put “on hold” in late October 1998, Sky News notes.
The same document noted that members of bin Laden’s network had received training in hijackings, although no group linked to al-Qaeda had carried out a hijacking by that time.
“Imminent Terrorist Operations”
Another document warned of a “significant, imminent threat of attacks by bin Laden” and referred to “imminent anti-American terrorist operations,” which could include the hijacking of an aircraft.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated:
“Twenty-five years ago, the September 11 attacks dealt a blow to our nation, but they did not break us.”
September 11, 2001, was one of the most dramatic days in modern history. That morning, 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers seized four passenger planes in the U.S. Two of them crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, a third into the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the plane.
Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives, while the attacks shocked the entire world and led to profound changes in U.S. foreign policy, global security, and the war on terror.
Source: iefimerida.gr
