CIA Releases 9/11 Briefs Warning of Aircraft Attacks

On September 11, 2023, the CIA released more than 70 presidential intelligence briefs concerning Al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The CIA stated that this release offers “unprecedented transparency” regarding America’s sensitive intelligence from the period leading up to and following the attacks.

The documents illustrate the evolving understanding of Al-Qaeda by CIA analysts and their efforts to warn about bin Laden’s attack plotting, despite limited and vague information. Notably, a brief dated September 10, 1998, indicated that Al-Qaeda “may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a US city,” while another from December 4, 1998, warned that bin Laden and his associates were preparing for attacks in the US, including aircraft hijackings.

The briefs span the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, who was in office during the 9/11 attacks, which involved the hijacking of four airliners by 19 Al-Qaeda operatives.