According to Headline USA, the CIA released a set of late‑1990s and early‑2000s reports on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, documenting warnings to the Clinton and Bush administrations about potential Al Qaeda operations, including airliner plots.
What the newly released memos warned
Headline USA reported that a Sept. 10, 1998 CIA analysis warned “the same group responsible for the bombings in Africa may fly an explosive‑packed airplane into a US city.” Headline USA wrote that this was “presumably” a reference to Al Qaeda’s Aug. 7, 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
A Dec. 4, 1998 CIA memorandum stated, “Bin Ladin might implement plans to hijack a US aircraft,” adding, “Some members of the Bin Ladin network have received hijack training, but no group directly tied to Bin Ladin’s al‑Qa’ida has ever carried out an aircraft hijacking,” according to Headline USA. A post on X by Sean Davis also highlighted that Dec. 4, 1998 warning.
Headline USA further cited a July 21, 1999 report warning that bin Laden’s group “made a dry run of a bombing of the FBI headquarters and indicated the operation would take place ‘soon.’”
Disputed CIA–FBI handoff on two future hijackers
Headline USA reported that in Dec. 1999 the CIA surveilled Nawaf al‑Hazmi and Khalid al‑Mihdhar in Malaysia, later “losing track” of them. The outlet said the men turned up in San Diego in spring 2000 and that, when the CIA learned this, it did not notify the FBI.
Florida Bulldog, cited by Headline USA, reported that the CIA’s chief of the Bin Laden Station, his deputy, and a desk officer “intentionally blocked a cable” to FBI Headquarters about the pair. The Bulldog attributed the following exchange to the desk officer, addressed to FBI agent Mark Rossini: “It’s not an FBI matter. When we want the FBI to know, we’ll let them know. And you’re not going to say anything.”
Alleged recruitment effort
According to Headline USA’s summary of an Office of Military Commissions investigator, Don Canestraro, at least two FBI agents told him the CIA was stonewalling the bureau because it was attempting to recruit al‑Hazmi and al‑Mihdhar as assets to infiltrate Al Qaeda. This remains an allegation as reported by Canestraro.
Context and sourcing
Headline USA wrote that the CIA continued to warn about potential Al Qaeda attacks in the early months of 2001 under the Bush administration. Patriot Nation Press has not independently reviewed the declassified documents referenced by Headline USA or the underlying records cited by Florida Bulldog and Canestraro.
