Osama Bin Laden Wanted to Attack India Years Before 9/11, CIA File Reveals
The brief said bin Laden could rely on networks in 60 countries, but it named no specific target or attack date in India.
- The CIA released declassified daily briefs marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11, revealing that Osama bin Laden identified India as a potential target for attacks as early as 1998.
- Titled "Bin Ladin Terrorist Network Still a Threat," the August 28, 1998, assessment listed India, Pakistan, Egypt, and other nations as locations where bin Laden intended to conduct attacks.
- While the document noted bin Laden could rely on individuals in about 60 countries, it contained no evidence of a specific plot or target in India, according to the agency.
- The assessment followed United States missile strikes against al-Qaida facilities in Afghanistan and Sudan in August 1998, launched after the bombings of United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
- Three years later, on September 11, al-Qaida operatives hijacked four aircraft in the United States, killing nearly 3,000 people before bin Laden was eventually killed in Pakistan.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Before 9/11 Attacks, Osama Bin Laden Had India On His List, Newly Released CIA Files Reveal
India was one of the countries that al-Qaeda founder and most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden had considered for possible terrorist attack years before 11 September 2001 attack in US. It has released in new declassified CIA documents. The
Osama Bin Laden Considered India Among Potential Attack Locations Before 9/11
<p>Al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden had considered India among countries where his network could carry out terrorist attacks years before the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, according to a declassified CIA intelligence assessment from 1998. The revelation is part of a newly released collection of CIA President's Daily Briefs made public to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The agency has released more than …
Osama bin Laden had India on his target list as early as 1998, CIA files reveal
Newly declassified CIA intelligence briefs reveal that Osama bin Laden was considering attacks in India and several other countries as early as 1998. Released on September 11, 2026, the documents detail repeated warnings to U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush about al-Qaeda’s plans ahead of the 9/11 attacks. The files also shed light on al-Qaeda’s links with the Kashmir-based Harakat ul-Mujahedin and confirm key findings of the 9/11 …
A 1998 CIA report stated that Osama bin Laden intended to carry out attacks in several countries, including India. The report did not mention any specific targets in India or a date for the attacks. The document also stated that he was exploring options to target the United States and Britain and had networks in more than 60 countries.
Before 9/11, Osama bin Laden eyed India for terror attacks, CIA documents show
A declassified CIA brief from 1998 said Al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden intended to conduct attacks in India and several other countries. The release offers a fresh look at the reach of al-Qaida's network before 9/11, but names no specific target in India.
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