Plan to Capture Bin Laden Before 9/11 Was Called Off

ABC News ^ | 5/21/03 | Brian Ross

[Interloper]

The FBI made secret plans to capture and arrest Osama bin Laden five years ago, long before the terror leader's deadliest plan came to fruition.

Jack Cloonan, a former FBI agent who is now an ABCNEWS consultant, said that federal agents seeking bin Laden had developed a plan to have a plane fly in and attack a compound in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where the terror leader was believed to have been holed up back in 1998 — three years before the devastating attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

But when the plan went up the chain of command for approval, it was killed by then-Attorney General Janet Reno.

"They came to the decision that this plan was probably too dangerous, that the loss of life on the ground would have been significant," Cloonan said. There was concern that people around the bin Laden compound would be killed."

The Secret Team

Cloonan was part of a secret team of federal investigators whose sole purpose was to apprehend the terror leader.

Like other agents, he was relishing the idea of nabbing the head of al Qaeda.

"I would have said 'Sheik bin Laden, you are under arrest. You are charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals abroad,' " he said.

Starting in early 1996, a team of FBI and CIA agents was secretly sent to an unmarked office in a nondescript building off the Beltway in Alexandria, Va. It was called Alex Station, and it was the center of a U.S. government operation to capture bin Laden. Cloonan was one of 13 FBI agents from New York who was part of Alex Station.

"We were in the business of trying to find people, track them down," he said.

By early 1998, Alex Station had developed enough information through investigation and informants to get a formal criminal indictment returned against bin Laden, which would still be used if he were captured today.

Cloonan said the agents learned a great deal about al Qaeda's operations and its leaders during this time.

"We can say for the first time, this is who is running al Qaeda, this is the military committee, this is what you do when you join al Qaeda, " Cloonan said. "You raise your right hand and you pledge bayat [swear allegiance] ... to bin Laden."

But Cloonan said they were on more than just a discovery mission.

"There's no sense in getting involved in a case like this and seeking an indictment if you're not going to bring this to a logical conclusion," Cloonan said. "And that logical conclusion for us was the arrest of bin Laden."

The Compound Plan

The plan to capture bin Laden was focused on a compound in Kandahar, the stronghold of the Taliban, the Islamic militia that ruled most of Afghanistan at the time.

"We had information, pretty good information on the particular house where he was," Cloonan said.

Using a desert area outside San Antonio, Texas, similar to the terrain in Afghanistan, the Alex Station team actually practiced the short takeoff and landing that would have been necessary to carry out the mission. A plane was to fly in from Uzbekistan.

"A U.S. plane was to fly in," Cloonan said. "And he [bin Laden] would have been greeted by an FBI agent, who would have said, 'Sheik bin Laden, there is a warrant for your arrest,'" he said.

The former attorney general declined to comment to ABCNEWS' Good Morning America, saying the incident was classified.

Cloonan says Reno's decision to kill the plan was never reopened

[blackdog]

My goodness! An entire article about planned operations to battle terrorism and the name "Clinton" was not mentioned once? How could this be? That man sure could delegate.......

[BluH2o]

I heard ABC's correspondent give this report on GMA earlier today. What struck me was the fact that at no time was the name Clinton evoked ... he talked about the Janet Reno justice department. Rest assured had it been the Bush justice department, or any Republican justice deptartment, the President's name would be front and center. Guaranteed ...

[mewzilla]

Toon legacy bump.

[AmericanInTokyo]

She was too busy organizing federal raids of private residences in Miami that protected the little Elian from being sent back to Communist Cuba.

[mewzilla]

Brian Ross did a report on ABC's nightly news last night on the Oil For Food program that I thought was pretty soft on the UN. Ross also never mentioned France's role in the scam, the money in a French bank, or the fact that the UN was getting a fee for running the program. All in all, pretty disappointing unless he's going to follow it up. I used to keep an eye peeled for Ross's reports, but FOX's Eric Shawn has been doing much better investigative reporting on this topic by far.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Hmm. Janet Reno killed it. Surprise, surprise."

""...the loss of life on the ground would have been significant," Cloonan said. There was concern that people around the bin Laden compound would be killed..."

Note that Janet Draino wasn't concerned about loss of AMERICAN lives in the raid. Given her propensity for "offing" American citizens, I'm not surprised.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this.

Jake Reno, the Yeti/Wookie Lesbo Amazon, worked 24/7 to protect the enemies of America.

Remember during this time she was trying to dismantle the terrible and dangerous enemy, Bill Gates/Micosoft. Massive amounts of Justice Department resources were squandered trying to smash Gates or force him over to the Dark Side.

Then, Jake worked behind the scenes in situations like this to protect the real enemies of America, both from outside and within America.

[blackdog]

It's like everyone in the Clinton Admin was running for office in Brussels, Belgium. In order to be seen as a player in global governance it was required to kick the United States in full view, like Waco, Elian Gonzales, Somalia debacle, Gutting the CIA, Panama Canal handover to Hutchinson Wampoa, etc...... But yet openly give a free pass on any interests to foreigners outside the United States.

There can be no other explanation for Clinton Admin conduct. They actually thought the world outside the US would worship them and enrich them for all eternity. It looks like Bubba got the goodies while the rest were hung out to dry.

[pittsburgh gop guy]

Careful people. This might be another attempt by the Clinton worshippers to prove that his administration was working hard to get bin Laden. Funny how Attorney General Reno is blamed for killing the plan to get Osama, and not Clinton.

The Clinton worshippers will tear down ANYONE, including themselves, to glorify their God, CLINTON. He is to blame for why we did not get bin Laden when we should/could have (pre 9/11).

[Lunatic Fringe]

They came to the decision that this plan was probably too dangerous, that the loss of life on the ground would have been significant

But she had no problem sending in domestic para-military troops into Waco, Ruby Ridge, and Miami.... where American children were in danger.

[skinkinthegrass]

Hmm. Janet Reno killed it. Surprise, surprise.

Janet Reno (Rhino) Only goes after defenseless Women & Chirren..."Operation Showtime" and/or little cuban boys washed-up on our shores & then hands them over to Castros' Goons.

[dagoofyfoot]

Truly sickening! This what happens when the "Clampitts" get into the Whitehouse. We already knew that Reno was a loser, and totally unfit for the position. Everyone one of these people should be taken out behind the woodshed and given "three behind the ear".

[b4its2late]

This smells of Clinton. Reno is just the scapegoat for the attempted legacy.

[TomGuy]

My goodness! An entire article about planned operations to battle terrorism and the name "Clinton" was not mentioned once? How could this be? That man sure could delegate.......

Yes, but, didn't BClinton specifically say he had a plan to get Bin Laden. Seems reports of that plan under Clinton's name were circulating about a year ago.

Any thing associated with B or H Clinton should also be associated with the term hoodwinked. They were/are good at it.

[skinkinthegrass]

There weren't enough children in the compound to make it worth her while.

Ouch...good one!... :)

[Jeff Head]

More ...

CLINTON LEGACY

[steve-b]

Clowntoon probably told them to put the plan on hold until he could use it to get another scandal off the front page, but the opportunity passed before that happened.

[MrConfettiMan]

If you have the time, read the whole thread. Lots of good comments in here.

[AmericanVictory]

When you consider why Reno was chosen by the Clintons and the harm that Reno did to this nation, it is clear that she was more than the incompetent person which Washington insiders such as Tony Snow like to indicate. She was evil and her evil was connected to her immorality, another "unmentionable" that Washington insiders have decided may not be discussed.