Pre-9/11 warnings about Osama Bin Laden: What CIA declassified files say

On May 2, 2011, Navy SEALs special forces executed an operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan, resulting in the death of terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden. The mission also yielded an invaluable treasure trove: six thousand pages linked to Al Qaeda, the group responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the United States 11 years prior. Among the confiscated documents was a personal letter signed by Libyan jihadi Atiyad Abd al Rahman, addressed directly to Bin Laden.

The sender pleaded in July 2010 for the release of three terrorist leaders, one of whom, Saif al Adel, was under house arrest in Iran. Saif al Adel, an Egyptian veteran of military service with extensive experience in warfare, held a prominent position within the organization. Since Bin Laden's death 11 years prior, and following the leadership transition to Ayman al Zawahiri, Saif al Adel has emerged as the de facto head of Al Qaeda, though covertly.