Washington declassifies documents revealing early warnings about bin Laden and Al-Qaeda
Amman2 min read
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The United States has declassified dozens of daily presidential briefings revealing part of the intelligence gathered by American agencies regarding Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda during the years leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The documents, published in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the attacks, include details about bin Laden's movements and his surrounding support network, alongside intelligence warnings regarding potential threats targeting American interests and targets.
US Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe said that the release of the documents represents an "exceptional transparency operation," noting that it is the largest single release of declassified daily presidential briefings in the agency's history.
Some of the documents date back to 1998, including a briefing for former President Bill Clinton titled "Terrorists Seek Weapons of Mass Destruction Capabilities," which included references to bin Laden and other extremist Islamists.
The documents also include a report dated September 12, 2001, in which a source stated that the attacks were planned over a period of two years, and that the plan also included targeting the US Capitol building, which houses the headquarters of Congress.
Simultaneously, the US National Archives published another batch of documents including interviews with former officials in the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, conducted as part of the work of the 9/11 Commission between 2002 and 2004.
