ABSTRACT
Could good intelligence analysis have predicted the September 11 attacks? The answer is clearly yes. Some of the earliest reporting concerning the plot appeared when FBI Special Agent Kenneth Williams from the Arizona field office noticed that people with antiAmerican tendencies and possible links to al-Qaeda were attending flight schools in the United States. He quickly associated the potential for al-Qaeda to use an aircraft for terrorist attacks. The investigation of suspected terrorist Zacharias Moussaoui led to his arrest and seizure of information related to the plot for the hijackings. However, the reporting on the actionable intelligence broke down and the skyjacking incident occurred according to the terrorists’ plan.
