The president Donald Trump declassified on Friday, the day marking 25 years since the attack on the Twin Towers, 71 intelligence reports that were delivered to presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush warning about Osama bin Laden and the terrorist group Al-Qaeda in the years, months, and weeks leading up to the terrorist attacks.
The reports cover the period from February 13, 1998, to August 28, 2001, just a few weeks before the attacks, and were repeatedly ignored by these former presidents. For example, a report dating back to February 1998 warns of a religious decree from Al-Qaeda calling for attacks on U.S. interests abroad.
Clinton in particular received dozens of reports from U.S. intelligence about Bin Laden and the threat posed by his terrorist group. These documents warned the Democratic head of state that Bin Laden intended to use an airplane to attack American citizens.
Another dossier, dated October 14, 2000, three months before Clinton left the White House, indicated that the terrorist leader was "committed to striking U.S. targets," although intelligence could not specify a date. The alarms continued to sound with Bush as president, when the attack on the USS Cole—where 17 U.S. sailors died—was linked to Al-Qaeda.
