The CIA has released 69 previously classified documents related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which occurred 25 years ago.
What happened
The documents, which were presented to Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush in the years leading up to the attack, include a warning from September 10, 1998, that Al-Qaeda might fly a plane loaded with explosives into an American city.
The documents show that US intelligence provided consistent warnings about Osama bin Laden's intentions, but failed to assess the scope of the planned attack.
A report from August 3, 1999, even considered the hypothesis that the multiplicity of reports on different targets was intended to deceive the US.
The CIA's director, John Ratcliffe, stated that "25 years ago, the 9/11 attacks struck our nation, but they did not break us. Generations of CIA officers have since dedicated their careers to ensuring justice for the Americans who fell and to ensuring that Al-Qaeda will never again harm our country."
The documents also reveal that the US intelligence community failed to share information effectively between the CIA and the FBI, leading to a reorganization of the national security apparatus, including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
