Clinton, Bush received multiple warnings on bin Laden hijack plots before 9/11, declassified files show

Newly Released Intelligence Files Reveal U.S. Warnings of a Planned 9/11 Hijacking Plot

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A batch of declassified presidential daily briefs (PDBs) and CIA memorandums released by the Trump administration on Friday has shed new light on the intelligence community’s awareness of a planned aircraft hijacking by Osama bin Laden’s network in the years leading up to September 11, 2001. The documents, which were made public by the CIA Director John Ratcliffe, detail a series of warnings that reached both President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush, outlining the extremist group’s intentions and the U.S. response.

Warnings Issued Years Before the Attacks

The earliest briefing in the set, dated December 4, 1998, noted that members of the bin Laden network had received hijack training. It also stated, “no group directly tied to bin Laden’s al‑Qa’ida organization has ever carried out an aircraft hijacking,” and cautioned that the extremist might “weigh other types of operations against U.S. aircraft.” A related memorandum from September 10, 1998 highlighted bin Laden’s preference for striking Washington, D.C., and warned that the network behind the East Africa embassy bombings could “possibly fly a plane packed with explosives into an American city.”

Throughout 1998, the CIA and other agencies tracked bin Laden’s movements and identified associates across several states, including New York, California, Texas, Michigan and Florida. The files also described a “trial run” at an unnamed New York airport where operatives had successfully bypassed security checkpoints—an event that occurred roughly three years before the World Trade Center attacks.

Acknowledging a Domestic Threat

An August 6, 2001 briefing sent to President Bush described suspicious activity inside the United States that “was consistent with preparations for hijackings or other attacks.” It also cited FBI investigations of federal buildings in New York and noted that “Al‑Qa’ida members—including some who are U.S. citizens—have resided in or traveled to the U.S. for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks.”

Later that month, a daily brief informed Bush that the FBI was conducting about 70 field investigations across the country believed to be related to bin Laden. These investigations, the documents suggest, were ongoing in the weeks immediately preceding the September 11 attacks.

The Release and Its Context

President Trump’s decision to release the 71 PDBs was announced as part of a broader effort to provide transparency about intelligence operations before the 9/11 attacks. “Today I authorized the release of 71 Presidential Daily Briefs to honor the lives of those killed on 9/11, along with CIA officers who subsequently gave their lives to the fight,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe wrote on X.

The documents also underscore the political context in which intelligence assessments were made. “After U.S. missile strikes on his base in Afghanistan in 1998, bin Laden told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington,” one briefing notes—providing a direct link between earlier U.S. actions and the extremist’s stated intentions.

Implications for Security Policy

The newly released files offer a sobering reminder that the threat of domestic terrorism had been on the radar of top U.S. officials for years. They also highlight the challenges that intelligence agencies faced in translating warnings into actionable security measures. While the documents do not indicate that any policy changes were enacted in response to these briefings, they have prompted renewed calls for improved coordination between the CIA, FBI, and other agencies.

As the nation marks the anniversary of the attacks, the release of these documents will likely influence ongoing discussions about how to prevent future terrorist threats. For now, the briefings serve as a stark record of the intelligence community’s knowledge—and the limitations—just before the attacks that reshaped global security.