The independent commission that investigated the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks says in the months before the strike, the U.S. agency that oversees aviation failed to respond to dozens of warnings about possible terrorist action on U.S. airliners.
The information is contained in a previously undisclosed report by the September 11 Commission.
The report says the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received 52 intelligence reports between April and September of 2001 that warned of potential terrorist action by al-Qaida and its leader, Osama bin Laden.
Five of the security warnings mentioned al-Qaida training for airline hijacking and suicide attacks. However, an FAA spokeswoman says there was no specific warning about the deadly September 11 strikes on Washington and New York.
The report concludes that prior to the attacks, aviation officials were "lulled into a false sense of security," despite intelligence pointing to a growing terrorist threat.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
