Clinton reveals why CIA called off bin Laden operation before 9/11

Former US President Bill Clinton has revealed that a pre-9/11 operation to eliminate Osama bin Laden was called off over concerns about civilian casualties.

Speaking on WABC Radio's "Cats Roundtable" in an interview that aired Sunday, Clinton said he had authorized the CIA to eliminate bin Laden, according to the New York Post and other outlets.

"I had tried to get bin Laden before, and the CIA called off the plan at the last minute," Clinton said. "I think we might have succeeded."

He said the CIA feared that a failed attempt would kill many innocent civilians and was unwilling to take the risk. "I didn't second-guess that judgment, but ultimately I think bin Laden was determined to do it one way or another, and he had the money and the capacity," Clinton said.

"I think we should have done more to get him," he added. "I always thought he was our biggest threat. I wanted to get him and I did what I could."

Clinton also recalled the moment he learned of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. He said he was watching television in Australia when the planes struck. "I immediately said it was bin Laden," he said. "Everyone looked at me and asked, 'How do you know?' I said only Iran and bin Laden had the capacity to do something like this."

He added that bin Laden had been hiding in caves in Afghanistan. "I knew it had to be him. I also knew he had been planning to hit us for a long time," Clinton said.

Asked whether New York could again become a terrorist target, Clinton said it was entirely possible and that vigilance must not be relaxed. "We are much better prepared now than we were then," he said. "But you only have to miss once."

Bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011, when US Navy special operations forces raided his hideout in Pakistan during the Barack Obama administration.

The remarks came shortly after the CIA declassified documents related to the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Dozens of presidential daily briefing documents released Friday included assessments that bin Laden's network remained intact after the August 1998 US embassy bombings, as well as a September 1998 report examining the possibility of an attack on American cities using aircraft laden with explosives.