CIA Warnings of ‘Explosive Airplane’ Threat Before 9/11, Revealed in Declassified Documents
BBC News (10 minutes ago)
By Bernd Debusmann Jr, White House Reporter
Newly declassified documents expose CIA warnings to presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush about al-Qaeda’s potential to fly an explosive-packed airplane into a US city, three years before the 9/11 attacks.
On the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the CIA released 71 daily presidential briefs spanning from 1998 to 2001. These documents, among the most secretive intelligence analyses in the US, highlight growing concerns over al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama Bin Laden.
Key Findings:
- The CIA warned that Bin Laden favored striking within the US, with Washington a prime target as early as September 1998.
- Documents indicate al-Qaeda’s plot to attack the US was "widely known" in extremist circles by September 2001.
- The briefs echo the findings of the 9/11 Commission Report, which stated that intelligence warned of a potential attack but lacked specific details.
Background:
The CIA’s alerts began during the Clinton administration and continued through Bush’s presidency. Many of the 69 previously unseen documents are heavily redacted.
The embassy attacks in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998, which killed 224 people, intensified US concerns about al-Qaeda. Despite this, the CIA warnings regarding a possible "explosive airplane" attack did not seem to reach President Clinton directly.
