In the weeks leading up to the September 11 attacks in 2001, the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center (CTC) received a critical intelligence report. This document indicated that the nickname “Mukhtar” was connected to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is recognized as the mastermind behind the attacks. This information underscores the agency’s awareness of key figures involved in terrorist activities prior to the tragic events of that day.
The court order has not been publicly released. The intel claimed that Mukhtar was recruiting and training terrorists to attack the United States. The move comes as a big blow to the US government’s long-delayed efforts to prosecute Mohammed.
As for Mohamed, he was arrested by the US in 2003. The ruling further delays the case against Mohammed, which is set to go to trial in 2028.
The name Mukhtar had already appeared multiple times in CIA reports that year, according to Newsweek . Mohammed has earlier said he planned the “9/11 operation from A-to-Z”, according to the BBC . Trial judge Michael Schrama said that Mohammed’s statements to the FBI were not voluntary, according to CBS News .
