The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) declassified 71 presidential briefings related to the 9/11 attacks on the United States, marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Some of the briefings seemingly stressed to then-President George W. Bush that Osama bin Laden — then-leader of the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda, which orchestrated 9/11 — wanted to carry out well-planned attacks on the United States using expert terrorists and years of planning.

On August 6, 2001, just five weeks before the September 11 attacks that murdered nearly 3,000 Americans in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, Bush’s presidential briefing was titled “Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in U.S.” and stated that “Bin Ladin since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the U.S.”

Photo credit: CIA

Another presidential briefing given to Bush on August 28, 2001, just 14 days before the September 11 attacks, was titled “Bin Ladin Operations Are Expert and Flexible.”

The briefing stated that al-Qaeda “stresses careful planning, tight security practices, and flexibility throughout all stages of terrorist strikes” and “cells prepare for an attack well beforehand by conducting thorough surveillance of potential targets.” (Read more from “Declassified Presidential Briefings Reveal Warnings of Al-Qaeda Terrorist Plots Just Weeks Before 9/11 Attacks” HERE)