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The BBC reported in September 2002 that just weeks before 9/11 an aide to Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil, the former Taliban foreign minister, was sent to warn American and UN officials that Osama bin Laden was preparing to execute a large-scale terrorist attack on US soil. The aide also urged the US to launch a military strike against al-Qaeda, but was told that it was "politically impossible" to do so.
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Muttawakil had learned of bin Laden's plan in July 2001 through Tohir Yuldash, leader of the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan who had taken refuge there and also had "good links" with al-Qaeda. The minister said that the plan was imminent, it was going to be huge, and that bin Laden hoped to kill thousands of US citizens. Muttawakil, who actually wished to not be identified as the origin of this info, had serious concerns that the US would attack Afghanistan in retaliation once the coming events he warned of took place. In his own words, "The guests [al-Qaeda] were going to destroy the guesthouse [Afghanistan]."
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Nothing was done by either the US or UN, but a US official did say that they "were hearing a lot of that kind of stuff," and elaborated, "When people keep saying the sky's going to fall in, and it doesn't, a kind of 'warning fatigue' sets in."
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As a result of 9/11, a major military campaign was unleashed upon Afghanistan; the Taliban were toppled; and, consequently, Muttawakil is in custody for suspicion of harboring bin Laden and being in league with al-Qaeda.
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More on the pre-9/11 warning from the Taliban:
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READ BBC: Taleban 'warned US of huge attack' [09/07/02]
READ NewsMax: Did the U.S. Ignore Warning of 9-11 Attack? [09/08/02]
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