View source for Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda summit

{{short description|Al-Qaeda Meeting}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox event
|date=5–8 January 2000
|location=Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
}}
The '''2000 Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit''' was a meeting of several high-level [[al-Qaeda]] members held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 5 to 8 January 2000.<ref name="gskualalumpur">[http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/profiles/the_kuala_lumpur_meeting.htm The Kuala Lumpur meeting], at GlobalSecurity.org</ref><ref name="r911">[http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf The 9/11 Commission Report], p. 159</ref> During this conference, the [[USS Cole bombing|USS ''Cole'' bombing]] and [[September 11 attacks]] were planned. The CIA and Malaysian government came under fire for failing to identify members of the summit and arrest them before the attacks were successfully carried out.

==The summit==
The three-day-long meeting was held in the hotel room of [[Yazid Sufaat]], a former [[Malaysian Army]] captain and businessman, in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. The attendance consisted of Arab veterans of the [[Soviet–Afghan War]], including [[Hambali]], [[Ramzi bin al-Shibh]], [[Nawaf al-Hazmi]], [[Khalid al-Mihdhar]] and [[Tawfiq bin Attash]].

Before the meeting, the United States intercepted a telephone call to [[Yemen]] by al-Mihdhar concerning arrangements for the trip. [[Osama bin Laden]] had called that number dozens of times. 

==Intelligence failure==
By request of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], Malaysian authorities videotaped the meeting, without audio. The men were also photographed when they came out of the meeting. American investigators did not identify these men until much later. 

Ramzi bin al-Shibh's attendance at the meeting was discovered by the investigators by looking into his credit card records. Sufaat was later arrested, but he denied that he knew any of the men and said that Hambali had arranged the meeting.

The men flew to Bangkok, where the CIA lost track of them. Several months later, in March 2000, the CIA found out that Hazmi had flown to Los Angeles. Unbeknownst to the CIA, al-Mihdhar arrived on the same flight. The FBI was never notified, and nothing more was done to locate the suspects.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mayer |first=Jane |title=The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals |year=2008 |page=14-15}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

{{Terrorism in Malaysia}}
{{Al-Qaeda}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit}}
[[Category:Al-Qaeda activities]]
[[Category:Terrorism in Malaysia]]
[[Category:2000 conferences]]
[[Category:2000 in Malaysia]]
[[Category:January 2000 in Malaysia]]
[[Category:2000s in Kuala Lumpur]]