'I think it's Al Qaeda': The man who briefed Bush during 9/11

On September 11, 2001, White House intelligence briefer Michael Morell stood near President George W. Bush as the latter watched a plane crash into the World Trade Center on live television. Morell was part of a group that included White House political adviser Karl Rove, press secretary Ari Fleischer, and chief of staff Andrew Card.

Upon witnessing the second plane crash, it became clear that this was no ordinary event; America was under attack. Within minutes, Card whispered to Bush the news of the attack, which was captured on camera and later broadcast worldwide. As the staff scrambled to prepare, Morell was tasked with delivering daily intelligence assessments to Bush, whether he was in the Oval Office, Camp David, or his Texas ranch.

On this fateful day, Morell woke up early and prepared for a busy morning of reading reports. Around 8am, he gave his briefing inside Bush's suite at the Colony Resort Hotel, where he confirmed that terrorism was the cause of the attack. Later, he was informed about the third plane crashing into the Pentagon, significantly escalating the severity of the attacks.

After arriving at the airport, Morell was ushered into Bush's office on Air Force One, where the president asked him a single question that would stay with him forever: "Michael, who did this?" Morell, drawing upon his extensive experience as an analyst and recalling previous terror attacks, confidently stated that the perpetrator was Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda.