Key facts
- Newly declassified CIA documents show repeated warnings to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush about potential al-Qaeda attacks.
- A CIA analyst wrote in a 1998 document that al-Qaeda 'may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a US city'.
- A September 12, 2001, document stated the 9/11 plot was 'widely known' among extremists.
- The official 9/11 Commission report noted US intelligence believed al-Qaeda was considering using an airplane in the attack.
- Osama bin Laden's preferred strike location was within the US, with Washington a prime target, according to a 1998 briefing.
- The CIA Director stated that officers have dedicated careers to securing justice for 9/11 victims.
Newly declassified documents released by the CIA reveal that US intelligence officials repeatedly warned Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush of an impending al-Qaeda attack on American soil, including the possibility of using an 'explosive airplane' against a US city.
The 71 daily presidential briefs, spanning from early 1998 to the day after the September 11, 2001, attacks, show increasing alarm over the terror network and its leader, Osama bin Laden. Many of these documents have never been seen by the public before.
One briefing from September 10, 1998, reported that Bin Laden's preferred strike location was within the US, with Washington as a prime target. A CIA analyst wrote that the group "may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a US city." While the 9/11 Commission's 2004 report noted intelligence believed al-Qaeda was considering using an airplane, it was unclear if the warning reached President Clinton.
In August 1998, al-Qaeda attacked US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people, which prompted US missile strikes in Afghanistan and Sudan. A document from August 28, 1998, warned that the network remained intact and Bin Laden was actively considering attacks in the US.
A document dated September 12, 2001, indicated that the plot's existence was "widely known" in extremist circles and that Bin Laden may have relocated to Kabul to avoid conflict with the Taliban over the plan. The head of the Taliban, Mullah Omar, was reportedly evacuated from Kandahar following the attacks. Less than a month later, the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan to dismantle al-Qaeda.