# CIA releases dozens of declassified documents on bin Laden and al-Qaeda

https://mins.news/en/item/55396

- Al Jazeera, 2026-09-12 01:22 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/12/cia-drops-dozens-of-declassified-documents-on-bin-laden-and-al-qaeda?traffic_source=rss

> The CIA has released dozens of presidential briefing documents on Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. A 1998 briefing warned that bin Laden’s preferred option was to strike Washington and that al-Qaeda might fly an explosive-packed plane into a US city. The files also describe hijacking training, weapons research and the Taliban’s reluctance to surrender bin Laden, while adding little new about the attacks’ planning.

## Related coverage

- [Newly declassified briefings show clear warnings to presidents before 9/11](https://mins.news/en/video/55309) — NBC News, 2026-09-11
- [Newly released CIA files show Clinton and Bush received repeated alerts before 9/11 attacks](https://mins.news/en/item/55336) — TRT World, 2026-09-11
- [CIA declassifies intelligence warnings to White House before 9/11 attack](https://mins.news/en/item/55147) — CNN, 2026-09-11
