CIA had multiple clues linking 9/11 mastermind to terror plot before attack but failed to act: Report
The name "Mukhtar" had already appeared in CIA reporting in the spring of 2001, with multiple reports indicating that a person using the name was recruiting.
On August 28, 2001, a CIA human intelligence report brought forth the nickname "Mukhtar" linked to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks. The source reveals that the moniker had previously surfaced in CIA reports from the spring of 2001, with indications that someone using the name was actively recruiting and training terrorists to execute attacks on US soil.
At this juncture, both CIA and FBI were preoccupied with placing Khalid al-Mihdhar on watch lists, investigating Zacarias Moussaoui's intentions, and assuming Abu Zubaydah as the 2001 plots' mastermind. Despite these pre-existing connections, the intelligence community failed to recognize the significance of KSM's name and its association with other intelligence gathered in June 2001.
During this period, KSM, under the alias Mukhtar, was recruiting terrorists to journey to the United States. Moreover, reports about KSM's cousins, who were all entangled in terrorism, were also well-known to the CIA. Despite these clues, the agency did not fully comprehend the significance of the dots being connected, and it was not until 9/11 that German intelligence discovered KSM's communication with Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, who in turn had used the same phone to contact Zacarias Moussaoui. Thus, the intelligence agency's failure to link the dots led to the catastrophic events of 9/11.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times - World News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
