Declassified Files Reveal Warnings Before 9/11 Attacks

Recently released files highlight that former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush received warnings about Usama bin Laden’s plans to hijack large commercial jets as part of a terrorist plot against the United States. These warnings were contained in previously classified documents, including presidential daily briefs (PDBs) and high-level CIA intelligence memorandums, made public by the Trump administration. These documents detail instances where operatives managed to evade security checks during a test run at an unidentified New York airport, three years prior to the destruction of the World Trade Center by al Qaeda.

The terrorists planned to use hijacked flights to negotiate the release of imprisoned extremists, such as Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman and Ramzi Yousef. According to a Dec. 4, 1998 presidential daily briefing, evidence showed some members of the bin Laden network had received hijack training. However, no group linked directly to bin Laden’s al-Qa’ida had previously conducted an aircraft hijacking. The briefing warned that bin Laden might consider other operations targeting US aircraft.

Months earlier, on Sept. 10, 1998, another memorandum mentioned bin Laden’s preference for a strike on U.S. soil, specifically Washington, D.C. This report warned of the possibility of a terror network similar to that behind the East Africa embassy bombings attempting to fly a plane filled with explosives into an American city.

Throughout 1998, U.S. intelligence monitored bin Laden’s activities and support structure, identifying associates and supporters across states like New York, California, Texas, Michigan, and Florida. An Aug. 6, 2001 PDB delivered to President Bush described patterns suggesting preparations for hijackings or attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.

This document also noted that al-Qa’ida members, including some U.S. citizens, had resided or traveled within the U.S. for years. The group apparently maintained a support network that could facilitate attacks. It referenced bin Laden’s intent to retaliate in Washington following U.S. missile strikes on his Afghan base in 1998.

Weeks before the 9/11 attacks, a daily brief indicated the FBI was carrying out over 70 field investigations across the U.S. believed to be connected to bin Laden. The release of these documents aligns with the Trump administration’s efforts to clarify what intelligence agencies knew before the attacks.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe, in a statement, announced the release of 71 Presidential Daily Briefs to honor the lives lost on 9/11, along with CIA officers who sacrificed their lives in the subsequent fight. This was part of a broader initiative to declassify essential historical information, including files pertaining to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.