FBI HQ ‘Dumbed Down’ Report From Minneapolis Agents Who Foresaw Terror Attack

On the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Newsweek has republished a day-by-day account of the events leading to the worst terrorist attack on American soil. August 30, 2001, marked a crucial day in this timeline. CIA Director George Tenet received a briefing on Zacarias Moussaoui, who refused searches of his belongings and no longer spoke with the FBI.

Tenet learned that French intelligence had connected Moussaoui to extremist behavior, as he had attempted to recruit operatives for Chechnya. A 26-page report from the Minneapolis FBI Special Agent handling the case concluded that Moussaoui's story contained numerous inconsistencies, that he had recently returned from a two-month-long trip to Pakistan, and that he could not explain the source of $32,000 in his checking account.

These factors led the agent to believe Moussaoui was conspiring to commit a terrorist act, especially when combined with his extremist views.

However, after numerous revisions at the FBI headquarters, many of the Minneapolis agents' conclusions were softened. The agents later told the Department of Justice Inspector General that the changes at headquarters appeared to "dumb down" their report, and that the edits would definitely cause the FISA request to fail. Marion Spike Bowman, head of the FBI National Security Law Unit, stated that he did not believe there was sufficient evidence of a link to a foreign power based on the facts.

FBI headquarters took steps to finalize Moussaoui's deportation on the same day, as information from Paris confirmed Moussaoui's identity as the same man with connections to Chechen extremists.

The Minneapolis field office informed the DOJ Inspector General that the request for a FISA warrant was an "arbitrary roadblock" erected to deny seeking one. The French source also stated that Moussaoui was a radical fundamentalist who was very dangerous and extremely cynical, capable of nurturing a plan over several months or even years.

He had traveled to Kuwait, Turkey, and Afghanistan. CIA liaison officers at the FBI expressed their concern, stating that the case needed more attention and that a paper trail should be established to ensure Moussaoui would not later become a part of a suicide terrorist operation.