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US intelligence services get black eye in 9/11 staff reports
Washington, Apr 16: US intelligence services, notably the CIA and FBI, have come in for criticism by the independent commission probing the September 11, 2001 terror strikes for their alleged failure to recognise the al Qaeda threat despite several warnings.
Washington, Apr 16: US intelligence services,
notably the CIA and FBI, have come in for criticism by the
independent commission probing the September 11, 2001 terror
strikes for their alleged failure to recognise the al Qaeda
threat despite several warnings.
The agencies recognized the emergence of the al Qaeda
terrorist network more than a decade after it was founded in
1988, playing down a tide of reports that documented the
danger posed by the group, according to findings released
yesterday by the commission.
The CIA's counter terrorist centre never developed a plan to deal with the possibility that terrorists might use airplanes as weapons despite growing evidence during the 1990s that terrorist groups had attempted or were planning such plots, the commission's staff found. CIA director George J. Tenet acknowledged that he did not brief President George W Bush, FBI leaders or cabinet members after he was informed in late August 2001 of the arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui, who would later be charged as a conspirator in the terror attacks. The briefing for Tenet was titled "Islamic extremist learns to fly."
"We made mistakes," tenet told the panel, referring to the general failure to detect the terror plot that left 3,000 people dead. "We all understood Bin Laden's intent to strike the homeland but were unable to translate this knowledge into an effective defence of the country." Tenet also said it would take five more years to "have the kind of clandestine service our country needs."
Bureau Report
The CIA's counter terrorist centre never developed a plan to deal with the possibility that terrorists might use airplanes as weapons despite growing evidence during the 1990s that terrorist groups had attempted or were planning such plots, the commission's staff found. CIA director George J. Tenet acknowledged that he did not brief President George W Bush, FBI leaders or cabinet members after he was informed in late August 2001 of the arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui, who would later be charged as a conspirator in the terror attacks. The briefing for Tenet was titled "Islamic extremist learns to fly."
"We made mistakes," tenet told the panel, referring to the general failure to detect the terror plot that left 3,000 people dead. "We all understood Bin Laden's intent to strike the homeland but were unable to translate this knowledge into an effective defence of the country." Tenet also said it would take five more years to "have the kind of clandestine service our country needs."
Bureau Report