On June 21, 2001, journalist Bakr Atyani was invited to interview Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. While bin Laden did not wish to be quoted, al Qaeda military chief “Muhammad Atef gave Atyani the news in the form of a stark warning. ‘The coming weeks will hold important surprises that will target American and Israeli […]
Category: quotes
6/21/2001
“By June 21 [2001], the U.S. Embassy in Yemen was closed and the U.S. Central Command had raised the force protection condition level for U.S. troops in six countries to the highest level in anticipation of an imminent attack.” – Condoleezza Rice, No Higher Honor, Page 66 […]
6/21/2001
“On June 21 [2001], the United States Central Command, which controls American military forces in the Persian Gulf, went to ‘delta’ alert–its highest level–for American troops in six countries in the region.” – Philip Shenon, The Commission, Page 153 […]
6/21/2001
“On June 21 [2001], near the height of the threat reporting, U.S. Central Command raised the force protection condition level for U.S. troops in six countries to the highest possible level, Delta.” – 9/11 Commission, The 9/11 Commission Report, Page 257 […]
6/20/2001
According to CNN on June 20, 2001, Osama bin Laden “released an al-Qaeda-made videotape that opened with shots of the USS Cole shortly after its attack by suicide bombers eight months earlier and included shots of terrorist training exercises. Bin Laden then declared: ‘To all the mujahideen, your brothers in Palestine are waiting for you; […]
6/20/2001
Despite promises to hold general elections in October 2002, “In June [20] 2001, [Pakistani leader Pervez] Musharraf simply declared himself president, saying that it was in the ‘supreme national interest.’ ” – Ahmed Rashid, Descent Into Chaos, Page 52 […]
6/15/2001
“He [FBI Director Thomas Pickard] gave [Attorney General John] Ashcroft the first of his weekly briefings in June [2001]. Before the meeting, Pickard sent an agenda to Ashcroft’s office of the issues to be discussed. Terrorism was the number one item on the list… Ashcroft listened, but he seemed far more intrigued by other items […]
6/15/2001
During a videotaping in June 2001, Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud spoke with his Washington advocate and lobbyist Otilie English. “The Arabs and the Pakistani Taliban were the key to the war’s outcome, he [Massoud] continued. ‘It is a totally separate story whether Osama is a popular figure outside Afghanistan or not, but inside […]
6/15/2001
“In June [2001], only 18 out of 298 classified Senior Executive Intelligence Briefs sent to Bush administration officials referred to bin Laden or al Qaeda.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.] – Steve Coll, Ghost Wars, Page 568 […]
6/15/2001
” ‘Sunni extremists associated with al Qaeda are most likely to attempt spectacular attacks resulting in numerous casualties,’ warned a classified threat advisory issued in June [2001] by the Intelligence Community Counterterrorism Board. It mentioned Italy, Israel, and the Arabian peninsula as the most likely targets.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting […]