Newly released Top Secret docs show warnings about Osama bin Laden threats to US in years before 9/11

Newly released Top Secret docs show warnings about Osama bin Laden threats to US in years before 9/11 CIA declassifies presidential briefings that trace al-Qaeda threats to hijack plans and target US cities before 9/11 - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments The CIA has released more than 100 pages of declassified briefings provided to U.S. presidents in the years before the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, marking what the agency is calling its largest-ever disclosure of intelligence about Osama Bin Laden and events leading up to the attacks over the last 25 years. Friday’s release of 71 presidential briefs includes a document from 1998 during Bill Clinton’s administration discussing a potential operation led by Bin Laden to hijack a commercial airliner, and that two accomplices may have successfully evaded security checks in a trial run. The heavily redacted documents also discuss “potential U.S. targets” and reports from "questionable sources” that Bin Laden was preparing for an attack on U.S. soil. Other documents appear to trace how CIA analysts came to understand al-Qaeda’s operations and intentions under bin Laden, stressing his desire to bring “war to America,” despite what analysts characterized as limited or incomplete intelligence, as they delivered warnings to White House officials about the terror network. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said he declassified the documents “in an act of exceptional transparency” to “honor the memory of those we lost on that tragic Tuesday.” “Generations of CIA officers have since dedicated their careers to securing justice for our fallen Americans and ensuring al-Qa'ida would never again harm our country,” he said in a statement. “In the years that followed, numerous CIA officers made the ultimate sacrifice in the Global War on Terror. We honor their memory and service through our commitment to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat those who wish to cause us harm.” A memo written on September 10, 1998 reported that Bin Laden’s “preferred option is to strike the U.S. on its own soil in Washington” and “may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a U.S. city.” Another document from August 6, 2001 to then-President George W. Bush notes that Bin Laden is “determined to strike” the U.S., potentially relying on al-Qaeda members living in the country. The FBI discovered activity “consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.” A document from August 28, 2001, days before the attacks, determined that Bin Laden’s operations are “expert and flexible” though vulnerable to short-term delay and disruption.” The document also notes that al-Qaeda stresses “careful planning, tight security practices and flexibility” throughout its operations — “sound operational practices” that allow it to pose a threat to the U.S. “even in a heightened security environment.” The release of the documents comes as mourning Americans across the country honor the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks, which have profoundly reshaped the U.S. and triggered a series of world-shaping events. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments