Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ
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POLITICS

The Claim

Before September 11, 2001, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation knew that individuals involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing were taking flying lessons, recruiting people, and conducting surveillance flights, and the agencies did nothing to stop them.

The Short Version

The evidence does not support this specific allegation. Official investigations found that U.S. agencies had fragmented warnings about al-Qaeda, flight training, and future hijackers, but not documented knowledge that people involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing were carrying out those activities before 9/11. The claim merges distinct individuals and events into a single unsupported story.

Caveats

  • The claim conflates the 1993 World Trade Center bombers with later al-Qaeda operatives and 9/11 hijackers.
  • Broad intelligence failures before 9/11 were real, but that does not prove knowledge of these exact individuals' flight training, recruiting, or surveillance flights.
  • Low-quality sources promoting 'foreknowledge' narratives often overstate or misattribute official findings.

The Receipts

  1. The 9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 7

    National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

  2. Part 1. "We Have Some Planes": The Four Flights-a ...

    National Archives

  3. Special Report: A Review of the FBI's Handling of Intelligence Information Related to the September 11 Attacks

    U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General

  4. The 9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 3: Counterterrorism Evolves

    National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

  5. Connecting The Dots | The Man Who Knew

    PBS FRONTLINE

  6. Report of the Joint Inquiry into the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001

    U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence / U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

  7. The 9/11 Commission Report (Chapter 7 and staff statement)

    National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission)

  8. Staff Statement No. 1 to the 9/11 Commission

    National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

  9. 1st Trade Center Attack: 10 Years Ago

    CBS News

  10. World Trade Center Bombing, 1993

    Encyclopedia.com

+ 25 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

1993 World Trade Center BombingCentral Intelligence AgencyFederal Bureau of InvestigationSeptember 11, 2001 terrorist attacks

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