The Chilling Similarities Between October 7th and 9/11. | Ep.18

Summary

John Kiriakou compares intelligence failures before the September 11 attacks with those before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. He focuses on a Haaretz investigation alleging that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received advance warnings from UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Egyptian intelligence but did not pass them on to senior Israeli security officials. Netanyahu’s office denied the report, while Kiriakou says other Israeli outlets have corroborated parts of it. He stresses that the allegations raise serious questions but do not, by themselves, prove that Netanyahu authorized the attack.

According to the report as Kiriakou recounts it, Israel and Hamas held indirect negotiations in 2023 over Gaza’s blockade, trade, movement, and prisoner exchanges. After the talks stalled, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reportedly warned an intermediary of an impending “earthquake” and a major surprise. UAE and Egyptian officials are said to have relayed warnings to Netanyahu, who reportedly focused instead on threats in the West Bank.

Kiriakou argues that if the warnings were withheld from the Shin Bet, Mossad, and military leadership, they could have distorted Israel’s assessment of the threat. He also points to the political turmoil inside Israel at the time and Netanyahu’s reported support for allowing Qatari funds to reach Hamas. Kiriakou says these issues warrant scrutiny but cautions against jumping to conspiracy conclusions.

He also discusses growing international criticism of Israel and proposed restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. He cites a UK government statement condemning settler violence and says the White House did not support a public objection by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee. Kiriakou contrasts Israel’s current international standing with the broad support the United States received after 9/11.

9/11 and Kiriakou’s CIA experience

For the 9/11 anniversary, Kiriakou rejects conspiracy theories about who carried out the attacks, saying Al-Qaeda was responsible. He recounts that in July 2001, senior counterterrorism officials warned a group of foreign intelligence officers that a major Al-Qaeda attack was coming, though they did not know when or where.

Kiriakou witnessed the attacks unfold at the CIA. He describes the confusion, the agency’s response, and the shock and sense of failure that followed.

Records about Ground Zero

Kiriakou discusses a new New York City effort to publish records about what officials knew regarding toxic air around Ground Zero and its health effects. In an excerpt, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces a public information website and the release of records. Kiriakou says the documents may clarify what city officials knew and when.

Reflections on the post-9/11 era

Kiriakou criticizes the wars and interventions that followed 9/11, citing their enormous human and financial costs. Drawing on his counterterrorism experience, he argues that poverty, illiteracy, lack of opportunity, and oppression can make young people more susceptible to recruitment by militant groups.

Presenters and contributors

• John Kiriakou — Presenter
• Joe Scarborough — Excerpt from Morning Joe
• Zohran Mamdani — Excerpt announcing the New York City records initiative
• UK Foreign Secretary — Excerpted speech; not named in the subtitles
• Producers acknowledged: John Paul, Markella Tsiprios, and Victoria Van Ber