The US Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, released dozens of presidential briefs on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. They contain assessments about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida delivered to Washington before the attacks. The archive runs from February 1998 to the following day after the attacks. Some identifying information remains redacted, limiting what readers can establish from the documents.
The US Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, released dozens of presidential daily briefs on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The documents show how intelligence about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida was presented to senior leaders before the attacks. They contain assessments made at different times rather than one retrospective historical account. Publication allows the public to inspect those earlier warnings.[1], [2]
The documents run from a February 1998 briefing prepared for Bill Clinton to a report dated 12 September 2001. Early documents include assessments of extremists seeking weapons of mass destruction. Later briefs address potential al-Qaida targets inside the United States and information about attack preparations. These assessments document the intelligence available at the time and how agencies framed the threats for presidents.[1]
Some source names and other identifying details remain redacted. The public documents therefore do not reveal the complete sourcing behind every assessment. Their release does not establish a new finding about how the attacks were planned. They provide material for examining earlier warnings, their dates and their presentation to presidents. Redactions remain a limit on what can be concluded from the public text.[1]
