{
  "id": 748621,
  "title": "Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s 9/11 Role Was ‘a Surprise’ to U.S. Intelligence",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/khalid-sheikh-mohammeds-9-11-role-was-a-surprise-to-u-s-intelligence",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-13T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/khalid-sheikh-mohammed-9-11-role-us-intelligence-12248027"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A lesser-known facet of the 9/11 attacks, as detailed in Newsweek's comprehensive account, came to light when it was revealed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's role was largely unknown to U.S. intelligence. The mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, Mohammed, had developed an intimate familiarity with flight patterns and First Class service in the years leading up to the tragedy. On August 13, 2001, KSM applied for an Australian visa using a fraudulent Saudi passport under the false name of Abdulrahman al Ghamdi. This alias was subsequently used to obtain a B-1/B-2 visa for a visit to the United States on June 23, 2001.\n\nDespite the heightened terrorism panic in the United States that same summer, U.S. intelligence agencies, including the State Department, immigration, the FBI, and the broader intelligence community, failed to notice KSM's application. The Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001, pointed out that KSM's active role in facilitating terrorist activities within the United States had been overlooked. The report criticized the intelligence community for not recognizing the significance of KSM's role in sending terrorists to the U.S., and for not focusing on his activities rather than simply his location. It was only more than a year after the 9/11 attacks that KSM's involvement was discovered, a revelation that the Joint Inquiry described as a 'surprise' to the Intelligence Community.",
  "summary": "Mastermind KSM had two visas and was on a watch list. Yet no one in State, immigration, the FBI or intelligence paid attention.",
  "key_points": [
    "Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's 9/11 role unknown to U.S. intelligence",
    "Mohammed applied for Australian visa using fraudulent Saudi passport",
    "Intelligence community surprised by Mohammed's active role in 9/11"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The revelation that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's role in 9/11 was unknown to US intelligence until after the attacks highlights a critical gap in the intelligence community's pre-9/11 focus and information sharing.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}