According to 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: “Bin Ladin had been urging him to advance the date of the [September 11] attacks.” At first, “Bin Ladin wanted the operation carried out on May 12, 2001, seven months to the day after the [USS] Cole bombing.” Later, “the second time he was urged to launch the attacks early was in June or July 2001, supposedly after Bin Ladin learned from the media that [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon would be visiting the White House. On both occasions, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed resisted, asserting that the hijacking teams were not ready.”
– 9/11 Commission, The 9/11 Commission Report, Page 250