Declassified Presidential Briefings Reveal Warnings of al-Qaeda Terrorist Plots Just Weeks Before 9/11 Attacks

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) declassified 71 presidential briefings related to the 9/11 attacks on the United States, marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Some of the briefings seemingly stressed to then-President George W. Bush that Osama bin Laden — then-leader of the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda, which orchestrated 9/11 — wanted to carry out well-planned attacks on the United States using expert terrorists and years of planning.

On August 6, 2001, just five weeks before the September 11 attacks that murdered nearly 3,000 Americans in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, Bush’s presidential briefing was titled “Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in U.S.” and stated that “Bin Ladin since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the U.S.”

Another presidential briefing given to Bush on August 28, 2001, just 14 days before the September 11 attacks, was titled “Bin Ladin Operations Are Expert and Flexible.”

The briefing stated that al-Qaeda “stresses careful planning, tight security practices, and flexibility throughout all stages of terrorist strikes” and “cells prepare for an attack well beforehand by conducting thorough surveillance of potential targets.”

“Group members are experts in conducting different types of attacks and know how to protect their plans from discovery,” the briefing to Bush stated.

In a July 24, 2001, presidential briefing Bush was told that one such Bin Laden terrorist attack set for that month had been “delayed” while “others [planned attacks] continue” on schedule.

“For the second time in two weeks [redacted] indicates that an expected imminent Bin Ladin-sponsored terrorist operation has been postponed, but preparations for other near-term attacks may still be in train,” the briefing stated.

This particular briefing seems to align with the 9/11 Commission Report’s timeline of events leading up to the September 11 attacks.

The commission report — published in July 2004 as a breakdown of what occurred and the security failures that led to the attacks — recounts 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s (KSM) version of events.

“KSM claims to have faced similar pressure twice more in 2001. According to him, Bin Ladin wanted the operation carried out in May 2001 … KSM adds that the 9/11 attacks had originally been envisioned for May 2001,” the commission report states. “The second time he was urged to launch the attacks early was in June or July 2001 … on both occasions, KSM resisted, asserting that the hijacking teams were not ready. Bin Ladin pressed particularly strongly for the latter date in two letters stressing the need to attack early.”

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com.