After 9/11, No Americans Were Held to Account. Here's Why That's Dangerous
Even the 9/11 Commission soft-pedaled the failures of U.S. leaders and the intelligence community.
Osama bin Laden Called His Mother to Say He Wouldn't Be Able to Be in Touch
The terrorist leader phoned his mother in Syria on September 10. "Something big" was going to keep them from meeting for a while, he said.
As a Favor for His Taliban Hosts, bin Laden Had Their Rival Assassinated
The news that Ahmad Shah Massoud had been killed "made me feel sick to my stomach," said the CIA officer who led the first team into Afghanistan after 9/11.
"Zero Hour": Intercepted Communications Signaled an Attack Was Imminent
"The match is about to begin," said one of the communications. The NSA didn't translate them into English or disseminate them.
The Pilots and Muscle Men Began to Assemble. First Up, the Newark Team
September 7 saw the terrorists enroute to their 9/11 departure points. The four hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93 were the earliest team in position.
How Much Did al Qaeda Pay for the Entire 9/11 Operation?
Al Qaeda paid for the hijackers' flight training, travel, and more than a year's residence in the U.S., without triggering banking suspicious activity reports.
FBI HQ Finally Emailed Field Agents—12 Minutes Before Flight 11 Hit the WTC
The FBI later said that Bureau headquarters hoped other agencies would take action.
Al Qaeda Isn't Afraid to Kill Americans, a Memo Warned One Week Before 9/11
The personal warning from terrorism staffer Richard Clarke could not have been stronger. But he was just frustrated by the bureaucracy, Rice thought.
World Trade Center Hijackers May Have Been Lovers, Said 9/11 Mastermind
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed talked about the men's relationship; it may have reshaped what happened on September 11.
At Walmart, the Hijacker Bought Items for a Fake Bomb to Scare Passengers
"They said they have a bomb," a passenger told his father. "Don't worry, Dad ... If it happens, it'll be very fast." No traces of explosives were found.
Mohammed Atta Told His Men, Shout "Allahu Akbar," Wear Socks that Stay Up
"Smile in the face of doom, young man," Atta instructed the other 9/11 hijackers, "for you are passing to the gardens of eternity."
Clinton Team's Advised Bush on Fighting Taliban, But Bush Wasn't Having It
Bill Clinton-era officials urged his successor to make use of warlord Ahmed Shah Massoud and his anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.
What the CIA Didn't Tell Bush When He Returned from Vacation
Saudi Prince Turki 's resignation surprised the CIA. He was close to them--and to Osama bin Laden. But the U.S. focused its wrath on Pakistan, not Saudi Arabia.
FBI HQ 'Dumbed Down' the Report from Minneapolis Agents Who Foresaw Attack
"If this guy is let go, two years from now he will be talking to a control tower while aiming a 747 at the White House," an agent wrote 12 days before 9/11.
Osama bin Laden Told His Team, the Hell with Taliban Leader Mullah Omar
Even al Qaeda leaders didn't know the date of the planned attack. When told, they had objections—but bin Laden overruled them.
9/11 Mastermind Was Named in Intel Report, Which Should've Alerted the CIA
Deadly failure on KSM: Multiple reports cited the person recruiting terrorists to attack the U.S—but the CIA and FBI were looking elsewhere.
As 9/11 Neared, al Qaeda Prepared a Second Attack on America
Zaid Jarrah was a computer program by day, terrorist by night. He bought a poster of the Boeing 757 cockpit to study and to share with other bin Laden members.
A Florida Motel Manager Let the "Clean-cut" Guest Have an Overnight Visitor
Marwan al-Shehhi shared his room with Mohammed Atta. They shopped in Target, Circuit City, Payless Shoes, Lowe's.
Why Mohammed Atta Chose That Particular Tuesday in September for the Attack
Mohammed Atta logged into his Travelocity account to shop for flights from Washington Dulles airport and from Boston, departing around 8:00 am on September 11.
Waterboarded at a CIA Black Site, the "Number One Terrorist" Gave Up a Name
"The time for training is over," al Qaeda member Abu Zubaydah said on an intercepted call. After torture, he pointed the CIA to the 9/11 mastermind, KSM.
New 9/11 Clue: A Phoenix Field Office Agent Spotted bin Laden's Strategy
The special agent noted an "inordinate number" of suspicious flight students; guessed the terrorists' intentions; made four recommendations. FBI HQ did none.
Don't Be "Spun Up" Over Moussaoui, Minneapolis Agents Were Told by FBI, CIA
Field office agents were also rebuked for seeking information. "Things work much better when our agencies are communicating HQ to HQ," the CIA said.
The FBI's Bin Laden Unit Had an 'Oh, S--t' Moment, 3 Weeks Before 9/11
The FBI and CIA's a fatal mistake—confusing Khalid al-Mihdhar, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and "Khallad"—allowed 9/11 mastermind KSM to escape attention.
The "Insecure" German Terrorist Who Loaned Mohammed Atta His Computer
The 9/11 Commission wrote that Said Bahaji had "no personality and limited knowledge of Islam." But three of the 9/11 hijackers attended his wedding.
The Hijackers Debated: Hit Only One WTC Tower, Target White House Instead?
The men used code. "Architecture" meant the World Trade Center, "arts" was the Pentagon, "law" was the U.S. Capitol building, "politics" was the White House.
The FBI's Radical Fundamentalist Unit Ignored This Radical Fundamentalist
Zacarias Moussaoui was flagged as a possible "airline suicide attacker," but the intelligence community failed to connect him to other information they had.
Passengers Defeated the Well-trained Hijacker Assigned to Flight 93
Ziad Jarrah took his 9/11 role seriously. But a delay in takeoff from Newark Airport gave passengers the information they needed to fight back.
It's Easy to Get Knives and Razors Onto a Plane, the Hijackers Found
The FAA warned that terrorists might use everyday objects modified into weapons. But the team knew—from experience—their box cutters wouldn't cause a problem.
The Flight Instructor Was Struck by the Hijacker's Meaning of "Joy Ride"
Real pilots like to fly planes. What explains a flight school student who doesn't? FBI agents went to search Zacarias Moussaoui's rooms.
Bush Launched an Attack a Month Before 9/11—Against Iraq, Not Al-Qaeda
A foreign enemy was "trying his darndest to bring down a coalition aircraft," said a Pentagon spokesman. He didn't mean Osama bin Laden.
