India Was Among Countries Considered By Osama Bin Laden For Attacks, 1998 CIA Brief Reveals

India was among several countries that al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was considering as potential targets for attacks years before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to newly released US intelligence documents.

A presidential intelligence brief dated August 28, 1998, listed India alongside Pakistan, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Uganda as countries where the then al-Qaeda chief wanted to carry out attacks. Nigeria was also identified as a possible target.

The document, however, does not identify any specific target in India or provide details about when or how an attack might have been planned.

The brief is among more than 70 presidential intelligence documents released by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on Friday to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The documents, spanning more than 100 pages, shed light on US intelligence assessments of the threat posed by bin Laden and his network in the years before 9/11.

What The 1998 CIA Brief Said About India

Titled Bin Ladin Terrorist Network Still a Threat, the August 1998 brief assessed the status of bin Laden's network after US missile strikes on al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.

Although the source of the intelligence remains redacted, the assessment indicated that bin Laden's ambitions extended beyond attacks against the United States.

India was listed among a number of countries being considered for attacks, while the document also highlighted the geographical reach of bin Laden's network.

The brief said bin Laden's established infrastructure across North America, Europe and East Asia lent credibility to reports that his network could target US interests in those regions.

Al-Qaeda Network Survived US Strikes

The intelligence assessment came shortly after the United States launched missile strikes against al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan in August 1998.

Despite the strikes, US intelligence assessed that bin Laden and other terrorist leaders based in Afghanistan had survived and that their communications network remained intact.

The document said al-Qaeda had resumed training at some camps, while others were being relocated.

It also stated that, hours before the US strikes, bin Laden had been seeking to launch further attacks against the United States and the United Kingdom.

The CIA assessment warned that bin Laden could potentially draw on a network of individuals and allied groups spread across at least 60 countries to carry out attacks.

US Intelligence Warned Of Bin Laden Threat Before 9/11

The reference to India forms part of a broader collection of intelligence assessments showing that the threat posed by bin Laden repeatedly featured in presidential briefings before the September 11 attacks.

The newly released documents cover the administrations of US presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush and span the period from 1998 to 2001.

They show that US intelligence agencies repeatedly warned of the possibility of terrorist attacks in the years before al-Qaeda carried out the September 11 attacks, the deadliest terrorist assault on US soil.

The CIA said the release offered unprecedented transparency into the country's most sensitive intelligence publication from the years before and immediately after the attacks.

What Happened On September 11, 2001

On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four passenger aircraft in the United States.

Two of the aircraft were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York, causing both buildings to collapse. A third aircraft struck the Pentagon near Washington.

The fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers. It was believed to have been headed towards either the White House or the US Capitol.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks, which triggered the US-led "war on terror" and was followed by the invasion of Afghanistan later that year.