Archive · 12 Sep 2026
CIA Releases 9/11 Files Detailing Years of Warnings
The CIA released old secret reports about warnings before the September 11 attacks.
The reports were given to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
They described Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda as dangerous groups planning possible attacks in the United States.
Some reports mentioned hijacking training and suspicious activity near New York.
Other reports discussed attempts to obtain radioactive or biological weapons.
A report in August 2001 said bin Laden was still determined to attack the United States.
However, the documents did not say exactly when, where, or how the September 11 attacks would happen.
They also do not show what the presidents discussed or ordered after reading the reports.
Investigators later found major problems in how US agencies shared information.
The CIA released 71 declassified President’s Daily Brief products covering February 1998 through September 12, 2001.
The documents warned that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda considered attacks inside the United States and pursued unconventional weapons.
Briefings referenced hijacking training, suspicious activity at a New York airport, and possible attacks involving aircraft.
An August 2001 briefing said bin Laden remained determined to attack the United States and described suspicious activity linked to possible hijackings.
The records do not identify the precise date, targets, method, or named operative behind the September 11 attacks, and the documents remain partly redacted.
- Who
- The Central Intelligence Agency released records concerning Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and US intelligence agencies.
- What
- The CIA declassified 71 presidential intelligence briefings about warnings and intelligence concerning bin Laden and al-Qaeda before and immediately after September 11, 2001.
- When
- The documents cover February 13, 1998, through September 12, 2001, and were released on the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
- Where
- The warnings concerned potential attacks in the United States, including Washington and New York, while bin Laden was based in Afghanistan.
- Why
- The CIA said the release was an act of transparency showing what intelligence was presented to two presidents before the attacks.
Evidence of Serious Warnings
Limits of the Evidence
How specific were the warnings?
Evidence of Serious Warnings
The documents described possible attacks inside the United States, aircraft-related threats, hijacking training, suspicious activity, and bin Laden’s interest in unconventional weapons.
Limits of the Evidence
The warnings were often framed as possibilities or intelligence assessments and did not identify the September 11 operation’s exact date, targets, method, or named operative.
What does the release show about responsibility?
Evidence of Serious Warnings
The records demonstrate that US officials received repeated intelligence about bin Laden’s ambitions and al-Qaeda’s capabilities over several years.
Limits of the Evidence
The documents are analysts’ briefing products, not records of presidential decisions or actions, so they do not establish what officials discussed, assigned, or failed to do afterward.
How reliable is the reported FBI investigation figure?
Evidence of Serious Warnings
One briefing told President Bush that the FBI was conducting about 70 bin Laden-related full-field investigations across the United States.
Limits of the Evidence
Members of the 9/11 Commission later said they could not substantiate that number, making it a claim recorded in the briefing rather than a verified count.
- Documents released
- 71 President’s Daily Brief products
- Period covered
- February 13, 1998, to September 12, 2001
- Pages of new analysis
- 101 pages, according to the CIA
- Presidential administrations
- The Clinton and George W. Bush administrations
- Warnings included
- Potential attacks inside the United States, hijacking training, and unconventional weapons efforts
- September 11 death toll
- 2,977 people, excluding the 19 hijackers
- Important limitation
- The documents do not specify the precise timing, targets, method, or named operative behind the attacks