Clinton says CIA abandoned plan to target bin Laden before 9/11

Former US President Bill Clinton revealed on Sunday that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) abandoned a plan to target Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden before the September 11, 2001 attacks, due to concerns that a failed operation could result in civilian casualties.

Clinton, 80, discussed the agency’s reasoning during a radio interview with John Catsimatidis on the "Cats Roundtable" program on WABC, recalling the moment he watched the 9/11 attacks unfold on television. He said he immediately realized bin Laden was responsible.

A plan that might have succeeded

Clinton said he had authorized the CIA to attempt to eliminate bin Laden, adding that he told the agency capturing him alive would be good, but the main priority was to "stop him."

The former president added: "I was scared and angry because we had tried to get him before, and at the last moment, the CIA called off a plan that I think might have succeeded."

He explained that the agency feared a failed operation could kill a large number of civilians, saying: "They were afraid that if they missed, they would kill a lot of innocent civilians. They did not want to take that risk."

Clinton added that he did not question the agency’s decision at the time, but believes bin Laden was determined to carry out his plans and had "a lot of money and capabilities."

He said: "I wish we had done more to get him. I always thought he was our biggest threat. I wanted to get him, and I did what I could to make that happen."

Bin Laden behind the attacks

Clinton also spoke about the moment he realized bin Laden was behind the September 11 attacks, saying he was in Australia when he saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center tower.

He said his daughter was in lower Manhattan, New York, and that he and his wife Hillary were extremely worried about her after she was among thousands told to walk north on foot, while they were unable to contact her.

He added: "I was watching TV in Australia when the second plane hit. I immediately said bin Laden did it. Everyone looked at me and asked: How do you know?"

Clinton explained that he believed only Iran and bin Laden had the capability to carry out such a large-scale attack, but ruled out Iran, as he thought at the time the US could quickly destroy it, while bin Laden was hiding in a cave in Afghanistan.

He said: "I just knew it had to be him. I also knew he had been planning an attack against us for a long time."

Bin Laden killed in secret raid

Bin Laden was later killed in a secret operation by US special forces at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011, during Barack Obama’s presidency.

In a separate context, Clinton said he believes the possibility of another terrorist attack on New York City remains, urging continued vigilance and enhanced intelligence gathering efforts.

He said: "I think it is entirely possible. We have to remain alert to this and make sure we get all the intelligence we can."

He noted that the US is now much better prepared than it was before 9/11, but warned that a single security lapse could be enough to cause a disaster.

He added: If you are running the country, you want to make good and big things happen, and prevent bad and big things from happening, considering this the path the US should take to restore some national unity.