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Millennium Plot

Not all planned terrorist attacks came to fruition. On December 14, 1999, alerted by his nervous demeanor, authorities at Port Angeles, Washington detained Ahmed Ressam as he tried to  cross into the United States via ferry from Canada. They found explosives in the trunk of his car. It was discovered that the al Qaida-trained Algerian had intended to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on December 31, 1999.  Earlier the previous month, Jordanian intelligence had also uncovered an al Qaida plot to bomb multiple sites throughout the Middle East on that same day. Jordanian police arrested 16 suspects just two days before Ressam’s arrest. The following collections contain records on the thwarted Millennium terrorist plot:

2007-1741-F This collection consists of records on the 2000 Millennium attack plots and the subsequent after action review by the federal government. These materials include National Security Council cover sheets, report summaries, budgetary requests, and memos on the distribution of summaries from Principals Committee meetings.

2014-0219-M This Mandatory Declassification Review contains material on the Millennium After Action Review. A Department of Defense memo regarding an Air Force request for additional procurements for FY 2001 is included.