India was among the countries that former al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden had once considered targeting, according to documents recently released by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The CIA on Friday released more than 70 presidential intelligence briefs related to bin Laden, comprising over 100 pages of material, to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York City in 2001. A presidential intelligence brief dated August 28, 1998, stated that bin Laden wanted to carry out attacks in several countries, including India. The memo also noted that the al-Qaeda chief could “call on a network of individuals and allied groups in at least 60 countries to conduct attacks. The collection of presidential intelligence briefs released by the CIA shows that the agency had repeatedly warned former US presidents between 1998 and 2001 about the possibility of a terrorist attack on the country. On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four passenger planes.
The document stated that bin Laden was planning further attacks against the US and the UK, just hours before the US launched missile strikes on al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.
The other countries listed in the memo, portions of which have been redacted, were Pakistan, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Uganda and “possibly” Nigeria. Titled “Bin Ladin Terrorist Network Still a Threat”, the document has the source of the information redacted. “Bin Ladin’s well-established infrastructure in North America, Europe, and East Asia lends credibility to reports that he also will target US interests in these regions,” the document says. The assessment stated that bin Laden and other terrorist leaders based in Afghanistan had survived the US attacks and that “their communications network remains intact”. The CIA said the release offered “unprecedented transparency” into America’s most sensitive intelligence publication from the years preceding and immediately following one of the darkest moments in the country’s history.
It does not specify any particular target in India, provide a date for a potential attack, or outline a precise operational plan. The terrorist group had also resumed training at some camps, while operations at other camps were being relocated. The briefs span the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W Bush. Two of the aircraft crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre, causing the iconic skyscrapers to collapse. A third plane struck the Pentagon, while the fourth, believed to have been headed for the White House or Congress, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
