The Commission listed ten “operational opportunities” that were missed. The first five are about the CIA: not watchlisting Mihdhar or telling the FBI in January 2000 that he had a U.S. visa; not tracking him and his associates onward; not watchlisting Hazmi or telling the FBI in March 2000 that he had flown to Los Angeles; not telling the FBI in January 2001 that a source had put the USS Cole plotter Khallad at the Malaysia meeting; and not passing any of this on in May 2001 when an official reviewed it. [1]
The Justice Department inspector general found an FBI agent assigned to the CIA had drafted a report for the FBI on Mihdhar’s visa in January 2000. Hours later a CIA desk officer added the note: “pls hold off on CIR for now per [the CIA Deputy Chief of Bin Laden Unit].” The report was never sent. Everyone involved said they did not recall it, and the inspector general “was unable to determine why it was not sent,” calling it “a significant failure.” [2]
The two men lived openly in San Diego, including in a room rented from an FBI informant. The INS told the FBI on 22 August 2001 that both had entered the country, and Mihdhar again on 4 July. The search began too late. [2][3]
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