CIA warned of 'explosive-packed airplane' threat years before 9/11, documents show

On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the U.S. government declassified several dozen presidential briefing documents. These records reveal that the CIA had issued warnings regarding the potential use of explosive-packed airplanes as weapons years prior to the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The disclosure provides new insight into the intelligence community's historical awareness of specific aviation-based threats. By making these briefings public, the documents offer a documented timeline of the warnings that preceded the events of September 11.