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2002 Memo Sparks 9/11 Investigation Demands

  //politics-government.news-articles.net/content/ .. 2002-memo-sparks-9-11-investigation-demands.html
  Published in Politics and Government on Monday, February 9th 2026 at 9:41 GMT by Patch
      Locales: New York, UNITED STATES

NEW YORK CITY - A recently discovered memo, authored in 2002 by Thomas Harding, then-Chief of Staff to former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, is sending ripples through the city and sparking demands for a renewed investigation into the events leading up to the September 11th attacks. The memo details specific intelligence gathered prior to 9/11 suggesting a potential Al-Qaeda plot involving the use of commercial airliners as weapons against targets within the United States, including New York City. The revelation has prompted a bipartisan chorus of New York City Council members to call for a thorough and transparent accounting of how the intelligence was handled.

The memo, dated 2002 - a year after the attacks - outlines information allegedly provided by a confidential informant, detailing a planned operation by Al-Qaeda operatives to hijack and weaponize commercial airplanes. Crucially, the informant is reported to have provided specific details regarding the potential targets, with New York City explicitly named as a likely location. The document's existence, and its prolonged obscurity, is the central concern fueling the calls for investigation. While investigations followed 9/11, this memo represents previously unreleased information that could potentially alter understandings of pre-attack intelligence failures.

"This is not about assigning blame, but about ensuring that we learn every possible lesson from the past," stated Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr., Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Investigation, during a press conference Monday. "The fact that this memo existed, detailing credible threats, and yet seemingly didn't trigger a significantly altered security posture, demands immediate scrutiny. We need to understand the internal processes, the decision-making, and the communication protocols that were in place at the time."

Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, Chair of the Committee on Public Safety, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of accountability and transparency. "The families of the nearly 3,000 victims deserve closure, and that includes knowing that every possible avenue of investigation has been pursued. To learn that such information existed and was not widely disseminated or acted upon is deeply troubling, and we have a moral obligation to investigate."

As of this afternoon, Raymond Kelly has not issued a public statement regarding the resurfaced memo. Attempts to reach representatives for comment have been unsuccessful. This silence is exacerbating concerns among council members and raising questions about what, if anything, Kelly knows about the document's history and its implications.

The Council is proposing a formal investigation encompassing several key areas. These include a comprehensive examination of the memo's distribution list - identifying precisely who within the NYPD, and potentially other federal agencies, had access to the intelligence. The investigation will also seek to determine why the information wasn't publicly disclosed, or more widely shared among relevant security agencies. Importantly, investigators will attempt to ascertain whether the information contained within the Harding memo had any impact on the security measures implemented in New York City in the months and years following 9/11. Were existing protocols sufficient, or should modifications have been made based on the pre-attack intelligence?

Beyond the immediate questions surrounding the memo itself, its reappearance is happening at a particularly sensitive time. The city is already preparing to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks in 2026, an event expected to draw significant national and international attention. The timing of the revelation risks re-traumatizing victims' families and reigniting painful memories. However, council members maintain that delaying an investigation would be a greater disservice.

Legal experts suggest the investigation could be complex. Establishing a clear causal link between the memo and any failures to prevent the attacks will be challenging, especially after so many years have passed. Witness testimony may be unreliable, and crucial documents could be lost or destroyed. However, the potential for uncovering systemic failures in intelligence gathering and dissemination is significant. The investigation could lead to recommendations for improvements in national security protocols, inter-agency communication, and the handling of sensitive intelligence information.

This unfolding situation promises to be a major point of contention in New York City politics in the coming months. The Council's determination to pursue a full investigation suggests a commitment to uncovering the truth, even if it means confronting uncomfortable realities about the preparedness - or lack thereof - leading up to one of the darkest days in American history.