Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet released a written statement for the Joint Inquiry Committee on October 17, 2002. Regarding surveillance of future 9/11 hijacker Khalid al-Mihdhar in early January 2000, it read: “We had at that point the level of detail needed to watchlist him–that is, to nominate him to State Department for refusal of entry into the US or to deny him another visa. Our officers remained focused on the surveillance program, and did not do this.” [The 5th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– CIA, “Written Statement for the Record of the DCI,” (before the Joint Inquiry Committee, CIA), The Central Intelligence Agency’s 9/11 File:, The National Security Archive, Oct. 17, 2002