A US Justice Department report has concluded that the Federal Bureau of Investigation missed several opportunities to detect and address terrorist threats prior to the Sept. 11th hijackings.
These deficiencies led to mishandling of information regarding two of the suicide hijackers, Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdar. Alhazmi and Almihdhar had first entered the US in early 2000, left and then reentered in August 2001. Though the FBI was aware of the terrorists’ presence within the US and were informed of their connection with an al Qaeda meeting in Malaysia, the agency did little to pursue the case.
In fact, according to the report, the case “was given to a single, inexperienced agent without any particular priority.” At least five opportunities to locate Alhazmi and Almihdhar were lost.
“While we do not know what would have happened had the FBI learned sooner or pursued its investigation more aggressively, the FBI lost several important opportunities to find Hazmi and Mihdhar before the September 11 attacks,” the report said.
FBI director, Robert Mueller requested the investigation after the Sept. 11th attacks. For issues involving classified material and other legal issues, release of the report has been delayed for almost a year. The report highlights three key misconnects in the handling of the case. The FBI was inept at tracking Alhazmi and Almihdhar, connecting al Qaeda’s Zacarias Moussaoui to the plot, and ignoring a suggestion that Osama bin Laden may have been sending operatives to US flight schools.
The FBI responded to the report by assuring the public that the agency has considerably improved their methods.
“Today, preventing terrorist attacks is the top priority in every FBI office and division, and no terrorism lead goes unaddressed,” the FBI said. “Stronger centralized management has strengthened accountability, improved information sharing, facilitated coordination with outside partners and guided a national counterterrorism strategy.”
