The CIA has released dozens of previously classified intelligence briefings from the years leading up to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The documents reveal that US intelligence officials repeatedly warned about the growing threat posed by Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.
Sixty-nine of the reports have never been publicly released. The documents were made public on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 on Friday. The files include 71 President’s Daily Briefs (PDBs) prepared between early 1998 and September 12, 2001.
The document identified Washington as a preferred target and warned that bin Laden’s organization remained committed to striking American interests. The document noted that the agents, however, had no evidence at that time that al-Qaeda possessed an established terrorist network inside the US. President’s Daily Briefs are classified for 40 or 50 years after they are published, making them one of the US government’s most secret intelligence analyzes. One of the most striking documents is a September 10, 1998 , President’s Daily Brief, which warned that bin Laden preferred carrying out attacks inside the United States. The September 12, 2001, situation report was delivered to the White House about 20 hours after the first hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center. Omar was reportedly evacuated from Kandahar shortly after September 11. Earlier reporting noted: What CIA warned about before 9/11 attacks: 5 key takeaways from newly declassified intelligence files The CIA has released 71 previously classified President’s Daily Brief (PDB) products marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, Twin Towers attacks. Earlier reporting noted: The September 11, 2026, release is the CIA’s largest collection of declassified PDB products specifically related to 9/11. The agency said the documents contain more than 100 pages of analysis that are now publicly available. Earlier reporting noted: By early 2001, CIA intelligence was increasingly focused on bin Laden’s capabilities and his links to Afghanistan’s Taliban government.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement that the attacks “struck a blow to our nation, but they did not break us. The DCI Counterterrorist Center had assessed that al-Qaeda “may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a US city, according to the newly declassified memorandum. A June 23, 1998, CIA memorandum titled “Potential Targets for Anti-US Attacks by Bin Ladin” said bin Laden had called for attacks on US military installations and warned that he sought to “bring the war home to America. The document said mounting intelligence had indicated extremists in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf had prior knowledge of the operation and that it was imminent. Bin Laden may have relocated to Kabul after disagreements with Taliban leader Mullah Omar over the planned attacks, according to the briefing.
