CIA releases largest-ever disclosure of pre-9/11 bin Laden briefs

The Central Intelligence Agency released 71 presidential intelligence briefs on Friday, marking its largest-ever disclosure of pre-9/11 intelligence about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. The documents, covering the period from February 1998 to August 2001, were declassified to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The release provides a detailed record of warnings delivered to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in the years leading up to the attacks. A September 10, 1998, brief warned that al-Qaeda may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a U.S. city. Another dated December 4, 1998, stated that bin Laden and his allies were preparing attacks in the United States, including an aircraft hijacking. The briefs trace the CIA's evolving understanding of the terrorist network. An August 6, 2001, memo to President Bush noted that bin Laden was determined to strike the U.S. and that the FBI had discovered activity consistent with hijacking preparations. A final brief from August 28, 2001, just weeks before the attacks, described bin Laden's operations as expert and flexible.