No.
Nukes will not be used prematurely. Timing is just as important as the actual attack.
The Islamist plan is much bigger than just attacks on the U.S., and has been well documented. They aim to unify all of Islam, and then conquer the world. That means they will not fire their biggest guns until the rest of the pieces are in place too.
For instance, since 9/11 the Islamists have been carrying out a worldwide terror campaign against "MODERATE" Mulsims. One reason we have seen so few voices of moderation in the world of Islam is that speaking out can/will get you killed. Even in the U.S. the world of Islam has become more radical since 9/11, and this is part of their plan.
Perhaps even more important is the planned take-over of at least one of these Muslim nations: Egypt, Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia. Saudia Arabia, in particular, seems ready to fall. But the "right" assassination in Egypt or Pakistan could lead to an Islamist takeover in those nations as well. Another assassination attempt was made in Pakistan today.
To sum up:
1. It seems highly unlikely that the Islamists would fire their biggest guns until their overall plan is ready.
2. The key parts of their plan may be falling in place. Saudi Arabia seems ready to fall, and Muslims around the world have moved in the radical direction. Pakistan is an assissination away from Islamist rule, and the dictator of Egypt is ailing.
3. All indicators available to us non-government types is that the plan has been set in motion. The main question seems to be when.
I guess this is a long-winded way to say I don't think that if they had 'em they'd have used 'em by now... But I think they might be getting close.
BTW: If the Islamists wanted a guaranteed way to inflame all Muslims in the entire world, they would blow up the Al Aqsa Mosque and/or the Dome of the Rock. This is easily under their control, and would be blamed on the Jews for sure. A high ranking Israeli minister has even warned recently that fundamentalist Jews could do this, thus providing all the proof the Islamists would need if something actually happens.
Inflaming the Muslims this way would provide cover for absolutely any level of attrocity the terrorists might commit. Kill the Pope? Nuke the U.S.? Biological warfare? Kill hundreds of thousands, even millions?
Attrocities on this scale would be considered no more than self defense if they were proceeded by destruction of the Dome of the Rock, and the fall of every Muslim government that did not support the terrorists would be much more likely.
". . .wouldn't the nukes already be in place (before 911) and be triggered by this time?"
We cannot be perfect 100% of the time. Neither can they. But it is only a matter of time. In any sport, even the worst player/team can manage to score a few points against the best player/team. It is inevitable. And this is not a game. They are expending their lives trying to achieve this.
I would venture to say there was a full court press as long as a decade ago to stop them from falling into their hands and they eventually managed to get where they are today anyway. When you play defense, you can delay, but you cannot defeat. Where there is a will, there is a way.
In 1995, the government/military predicted that a WMD attack on US soil within the decade was probable if not inevitable. We have been extraordinarily successful thus far. 9/11 was a tragedy, but fortunately, we have been able to make it this far without having a WMD-event to compare it to. Remember, the sarin attack in Tokyo, the OKC bombing and the aborted nerve gas attack in CA all happened within a few weeks. That was 1995. The "loose nukes" were an issue even before that. We are overdue - - way overdue.
We can delay them only so long. That is why the only solution is their total destruction. But as an earlier post indicated, they seek this - - mass, global incitement via WMD. They seek global provocation to bring down on them total jihad. Mass martyrdom is what they seek, for us and them. We cannot play their game. They aren't hjacking planes, they are hijacking nations, and we have to help the "passengers" take them down. Shooting down the planes (and the passengers) should be a last resort. There will be no going back after that. For what we now measure as martyrs in the thousands will be numbered in the millions.
These guys are Jim Jones passing around the Kool Aid or David Koresh pouring the gas all over the compound. They aren't just trying to set America on fire. They are trying to set the world on fire. And they'll kill their own innocents as willingly as they kill ours - - if it will inspire the fire of jihad in the hearts of millions . . .
This is the game.
"If AQ is trying to acquire nukes currently, it would be close to impossible with everyone giving info to the US?"
No. Very few people would be aware of the details of the operation. (It would be limited to a single cell I would assume) And that cell will be airtight. And enough precautions have probably been made to account for alternative sites/times/etc.
There is really no way to perfectly defend against this. You might be able to have an 80% or a 90% defense. But never 100%.
We have to go into the countries that harbor them and destroy them without destroying the countries. Kill the terrorists without killing the hostages.
Regime change.