CIA Files Reveal Osama bin Laden Considered India for Terror Attacks Years Before 9/11

September 13, 2026

New Delhi: Newly declassified US intelligence documents have revealed that Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network had identified India as a potential target for terrorist attacks years before the September 11, 2001 attacks, highlighting the global scope of the terror group’s ambitions.

The revelations are part of a fresh release of 71 declassified President’s Daily Brief documents by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The documents provide additional details about intelligence warnings surrounding bin Laden and al-Qaeda in the years leading up to the attacks.

India Among Potential Targets Identified Before 9/11

According to a declassified August 28, 1998 intelligence brief, India was among several countries identified as potential targets of bin Laden’s terrorist network. Other countries mentioned included Pakistan, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Uganda and potentially Nigeria.

The documents indicate that bin Laden’s ambitions extended well beyond the United States and reflected the global reach that al-Qaeda was seeking at the time.

However, the available document does not identify a specific target in India or provide evidence that a particular attack had been operationally planned or carried out.

CIA Had Warned About Bin Laden’s Global Terror Network

The newly released files cover intelligence assessments from the late 1990s and 2001 and show that US intelligence agencies had been tracking bin Laden’s activities, network and intentions well before the September 11 attacks.

The CIA’s collection includes reports on potential targets, bin Laden’s terrorist infrastructure, his plans for attacks and concerns over his efforts to acquire chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear capabilities.

Among the declassified documents are reports titled “Potential Targets for Anti-US Attacks by Bin Ladin,” “Bin Ladin Terrorist Network Still a Threat,” and “Bin Ladin’s Location and Intentions.” The CIA has also released documents warning of preparations for hijackings and other attacks.

Declassified Files Shed Light on Pre-9/11 Warnings

The document release comes as the United States marks 25 years since the September 11 attacks, in which al-Qaeda hijackers seized four commercial aircraft and carried out attacks in New York and Washington.

The newly public material reinforces the extent of the warnings available to US officials before 9/11. Other declassified documents show that intelligence assessments in the years before the attacks repeatedly warned about bin Laden’s intentions and the growing threat posed by al-Qaeda.

The disclosures provide additional historical insight into how US intelligence assessed bin Laden’s network and its worldwide ambitions before the September 2001 attacks.