Newly declassified presidential memos indicate that Osama bin Laden had intentions to attack Britain years before the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to a trove of documents released by the CIA.
The President's Daily Brief (PDB) products, made public by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to mark the 25th anniversary of the terror attack, reveal that the agency had "strong indications" of bin Laden's desire to strike the UK in 1998.
The PDB is a daily confidential dossier presented to the U.S. president, summarizing key global threats, national security issues, and intelligence analysis. The CIA stated that this release of 71 redacted briefing notes related to 9/11 aims to provide a glimpse into the period before and after the attacks, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people, including 67 British citizens, and victims from over 90 nations.
One document compiled after U.S. cruise missile strikes on al-Qaeda bases in Sudan and Afghanistan in retaliation for earlier embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, titled "Bin Ladin Terrorist Network Still a Threat," stated that hours before these strikes, bin Laden was "looking at options for further attacks against the US as well as the UK." The memo noted that bin Laden "did not indicate precise targets or timing."
A further memo from the end of 1998, marked "Significant Near-Term Threat of Bin Ladin Attacks," warned of "strong indications that he would like to attack the US and allies such as the UK and Israel on their own soil." It also suggested that if these targets were too well-defended, bin Laden would "target US and allied interests in other areas of the world accessible to his network." This memo also made a reference to "planning to hijack aircraft" in relation to "impending anti-US terrorist operations."
In August 1999, a separate file highlighted bin Laden's frustration following the detention of two operatives in London by British police. The document stated that "His organisation's capabilities have suffered from the arrest of key operatives," and quoted bin Laden expressing anger over the arrests of his senior procurement officer and chief in the UK.
Britain was also identified as a recruitment ground for al-Qaeda. A note from October 14, 2000, titled "Bin Ladin: Terrorist Network Active Despite Disruptions," indicated that "Worldwide recruitment of fighters for the struggle in Chechnya has created a surplus of Islamic militants that Bin Ladin and other extremists are drawing on to promote terrorism abroad." It added that "Mujahidin supporters recruit young Muslims in the UK, Pakistan, Turkey, the Arabian Peninsula, and elsewhere for training at camps affiliated with Bin Ladin in Afghanistan."
The final document, dated the day after the 9/11 attacks, provided a situation report where bin Laden's name featured prominently. A source indicated that the attacks had been planned for two years, and suggested that the congressional building and the White House may also have been targets. The report noted the disruption to air travel and mentioned that the UK and Belgium had banned commercial flights over central London and Brussels, respectively.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who served as White House national security adviser at the time of the attacks, expressed remorse at a 25th-anniversary ceremony, stating that authorities did not perceive the full nature of the danger in time to prevent 9/11. Bin Laden was killed in a U.S. military raid in Pakistan in 2011.