September 11 attacks: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
Tom harrison (talk | contribs) →Warnings: source quote |
→Warnings: insert accurate Rice quote, rmv unnecessary source as CNN link already says al-Qaeda was responsible |
||
| Line 196: | Line 196: | ||
{{See also|September 11 attacks advance-knowledge debate}} |
{{See also|September 11 attacks advance-knowledge debate}} |
||
Several officials warned or were warned about the threat of an imminent attack. One such warning came in December 1998, when the CIA's [[Counterterrorist Center]] reported to [[Bill Clinton|President Bill Clinton]] that al-Qaeda was preparing for attacks in the U.S. that might include hijacking aircraft to secure the release of prisoners.<ref name="WP1998-memo">{{Cite news|first=Susan |last=Schmidt |title=1998 Memo Cited Suspected Hijack Plot by Bin Laden |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58615-2004Jul17.html |publisher=The Washington Post |date=July 18, 2004 |accessdate=2011-09-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Bin Ladin Preparing to Hijack US Aircraft and Other Attacks |date=December 4, 1998|accessdate=2011-09-03|publisher = [[Director of Central Intelligence]]|url = http://www.foia.cia.gov/docs/DOC_0001110635/0001110635_0001.gif}}</ref> Another warning came from [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]], leader of the anti-Taliban [[Northern Alliance]], in April 2001, in a speech before the [[European Parliament]] in Brussels, Belgium where he asked for humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan. Massoud told the parliament that his intelligence agents had gained limited knowledge about a large-scale terrorist attack on U.S. soil being imminent. Massoud was assassinated by al Qaeda |
Several officials warned or were warned about the threat of an imminent attack on the United States by al-Qaeda. One such warning came in December 1998, when the CIA's [[Counterterrorist Center]] reported to [[Bill Clinton|President Bill Clinton]] that al-Qaeda was preparing for attacks in the U.S. that might include hijacking aircraft to secure the release of prisoners.<ref name="WP1998-memo">{{Cite news|first=Susan |last=Schmidt |title=1998 Memo Cited Suspected Hijack Plot by Bin Laden |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58615-2004Jul17.html |publisher=The Washington Post |date=July 18, 2004 |accessdate=2011-09-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Bin Ladin Preparing to Hijack US Aircraft and Other Attacks |date=December 4, 1998|accessdate=2011-09-03|publisher = [[Director of Central Intelligence]]|url = http://www.foia.cia.gov/docs/DOC_0001110635/0001110635_0001.gif}}</ref> Another warning came from [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]], leader of the anti-Taliban [[Northern Alliance]], in April 2001, in a speech before the [[European Parliament]] in Brussels, Belgium where he asked for humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan. Massoud told the parliament that his intelligence agents had gained limited knowledge about a large-scale terrorist attack on U.S. soil being imminent. Massoud was assassinated by al Qaeda two days before the 9/11 attacks on September 9, 2001.<ref>{{cite news|last=Boettcher|first=Mike|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2003-11-06/us/massoud.cable_1_bin-qaeda-sheikh-osama?_s=PM:US|title=How much did Afghan leader know?|publisher=CNN.com|date=November 6, 2003|accessdate=June 11, 2011}}</ref> |
||
During the Bush Administration such warnings intensified due to an increase in intelligence from June to July of 2001, called "the threat spike" by [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[Condolezza Rice]].<ref name=Blanton>{{cite web|last=Blanton|first=Thomas S. |date=2004-04-12|url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB116/index.htm|title=The President's Daily Brief|publisher=''[[National Security Archive]]''}}</ref> At a July meeting CIA counter-terrorism chief [[J. Cofer Black]] and CIA director [[George Tenet]] informed Rice about communications intercepts and other top-secret intelligence showing the increasing likelihood that al-Qaeda would soon attack the United States. Rice listened but was unconvinced, having other priorities on which to focus. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld questioned the information suggesting it was a deception meant to gauge the U.S. response.<ref>Washington Post, Two Months Before 9/11, an Urgent Warning to Rice http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093000282.html</ref> |
During the Bush Administration such warnings intensified due to an increase in intelligence from June to July of 2001, called "the threat spike" by [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[Condolezza Rice]].<ref name=Blanton>{{cite web|last=Blanton|first=Thomas S. |date=2004-04-12|url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB116/index.htm|title=The President's Daily Brief|publisher=''[[National Security Archive]]''}}</ref> At a July meeting CIA counter-terrorism chief [[J. Cofer Black]] and CIA director [[George Tenet]] informed Rice about communications intercepts and other top-secret intelligence showing the increasing likelihood that al-Qaeda would soon attack the United States. Rice listened but was unconvinced, having other priorities on which to focus. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld questioned the information suggesting it was a deception meant to gauge the U.S. response.<ref>Washington Post, Two Months Before 9/11, an Urgent Warning to Rice http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093000282.html</ref> |
||
One of the most contentious warnings was the [[President's Daily Briefing]] on August 6, 2001, entitled [[Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US]], which said that bin Laden was planning to use his operatives' access to the U.S. to mount a terrorist strike. The briefing stated: "''FBI information... indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country, consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attack.''"<ref>{{Cite news | title = Transcript: Bin Laden determined to strike in US | work = CNN | accessdate = 2012-03-14 | url = http://articles.cnn.com/2004-04-10/politics/august6.memo_1_bin-conduct-terrorist-attacks-abu-zubaydah?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS }}</ref><ref name=Blanton /> |
One of the most contentious warnings was the [[President's Daily Briefing]] on August 6, 2001, entitled [[Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US]], which said that bin Laden was planning to use his operatives' access to the U.S. to mount a terrorist strike. The briefing stated: "''FBI information... indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country, consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attack.''"<ref>{{Cite news | title = Transcript: Bin Laden determined to strike in US | work = CNN | accessdate = 2012-03-14 | url = http://articles.cnn.com/2004-04-10/politics/august6.memo_1_bin-conduct-terrorist-attacks-abu-zubaydah?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS }}</ref><ref name=Blanton /> Rice responded to the claims about the briefing in a statement before the 9/11 Commission that the brief was "not prompted by any specific threat information" and "did not raise the possibility that terrorists might use airplanes as missiles."<ref>{{cite news|title=Transcript of Rice's 9/11 commission statement|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2004-04-08/politics/rice.transcript_1_terrorist-threat-freedom-hating-terrorists-response-across-several-administrations/6?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS|accessdate=14 March 2012|newspaper=[[CNN]]|date=19 May 2004}}</ref> |
||
==Aftermath== |
==Aftermath== |
||