On June 16, 2004, the 9/11 Commission reported on the then-current status of al Qaeda: ” ‘…the organization is far more decentralized,’ as its leadership has dispersed from Afghanistan, and individual cells have taken on far more authority. The gravest threat comes from potentially catastrophic attacks: ‘Al Qaeda remains extremely interested in conducting chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attacks.’ Through the 1990s, al Qaeda attempted to buy uranium for a nuclear weapon and had an ‘ambitious biological weapons program.’ …’Regardless of the tactic, al Qaeda is actively striving to attack the United States and inflict mass casualties.’ ”
– Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, Without Precedent, Page 241