Previously classified documents, including Presidential Daily Briefs and CIA intelligence memorandums, declassified by the Trump administration reveal that both former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush received multiple explicit warnings that Usama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network were planning to hijack commercial airliners for attacks on the United States. As early as December 4, 1998, a Presidential Daily Brief noted that ‘Some members of the bin Ladin network have received hijack training,’ and that ‘Bin Ladin could be weighing other types of operations against US aircraft.’ A September 10, 1998, memo specifically warned that bin Laden’s ‘preferred option was to strike on U.S. soil in Washington, D.C.’ and that his terror network could ‘possibly fly a plane packed with explosives into an American city,’ with plotters aiming to leverage hijacked flights to demand the release of imprisoned extremists. The intelligence also tracked bin Laden’s support system and identified associates operating across several U.S. states, with a trial run at an unidentified New York airport already demonstrating operatives could evade security checks years before the attacks. Further warnings were issued to the Bush administration, including an August 6, 2001, brief stating the FBI had uncovered patterns of suspicious activity consistent with preparations for hijackings or other attacks, and that ‘Al-Qa’ida members — including some who are US citizens — have resided in or traveled to the US for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks.’ Weeks before 9/11, another daily brief informed President Bush that the FBI was conducting approximately 70 field investigations throughout the U.S. believed to be related to bin Laden.
Adapted from: Latest Political News on Fox News
