25th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks: Events Leading to the Tragedy

As part of its 25th anniversary coverage of the September 11th attacks, Newsweek has embarked on a detailed reconstruction of the events that culminated in the most severe terrorist attack on American soil. Readers can gain insights into each day’s events by becoming a Newsweek Member and opting to receive daily entries by email.

August 31, 2001: Bush Returns to Washington

On August 31, President George W. Bush returned to Washington, D.C., after spending a month on vacation in Crawford, Texas. CIA Director George Tenet resumed his routine intelligence briefings with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney at the White House. During their first briefing session on Bush’s return, Tenet did not address the arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui. According to the 9/11 Commission, he did not engage in conversations with the president about domestic terrorism threats either on that day or in the subsequent days.

Among the classified intelligence shared that day was the resignation of Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal al-Saud. Prince Turki had served as the head of the General Intelligence Directorate, the external intelligence agency of Saudi Arabia, for 23 years. His sudden resignation was unexpected, especially since his term was extended just a few months earlier in May.

Despite the known tensions between Prince Turki and Crown Prince Abdullah, who led the nation since King Fahd suffered a stroke in 1995, the resignation was not initially linked to terrorism. It was not directly connected to Abdullah’s dissatisfaction with Turki’s handling of terrorist matters or his inability to control Osama bin Laden.

Saudi Intelligence and Bin Laden

Prince Turki had maintained a close relationship with the CIA over the years. He played a vital role in Saudi support for the Afghan resistance against the 1979 Soviet invasion. The Saudi government largely financed the Arab fighters who ventured to Afghanistan, although many young men from Saudi and Gulf states participated for the prestige of waging jihad more than for combat experience.

Turki served as the main link to a young Osama bin Laden, who later became the informal leader of the Arab fighters. Some contend that Prince Turki acted as a patron for bin Laden, with speculation around an agreement in the late 1990s. This agreement allegedly involved al-Qaeda refraining from targeting Saudi territory in exchange for leniency or support from the Saudi government.

During terrorist attacks on U.S. interests within Saudi Arabia, like the 1995 Riyadh military compound attack and the 1996 Khobar Towers attack, U.S. intelligence experienced challenges due to Saudi cooperation levels in ongoing investigations.

Moreover, Prince Turki resisted cooperation regarding exchanges on terrorist financing, especially concerning an al-Qaeda financial officer who defected and returned to Saudi Arabia. Despite tensions, no threats were made against Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of 9/11, unlike the stern warnings issued to Pakistan.

Tomorrow: Bill Clinton-era officials urged his successor to cooperate with warlord Ahmed Shah Massoud and his anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.