Spy agencies were hamstrung in terrorism cases
US Attorney-General John Ashcroft and CIA director George Tenet have both told the 9/11 hearings that intelligence and law enforcement bodies could not prevent attacks because they lacked the means during the Clinton years to investigate suspected terrorists.
The high-profile pair were among the witnesses at the commission's 10th public hearing, and Mr Ashcroft's testimony in Washington had been the most anticipated after that of National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice last week.
While Dr Rice focused on a broader picture, saying there was 'no silver bullet' that could have prevented the September 11, 2001 attacks, Mr Ashcroft quickly went on the offensive. He explained in his opening statement that he had argued for changing the rules for FBI covert operations to allow for the assassination of persons deemed a threat to the country rather than only their capture.
'My formal review found no covert action programme to kill [Osama] bin Laden, only a covert action programme to capture bin Laden,' he said. 'Our agents were given only the language of lawyers.'
Mr Ashcroft also answered questions about the Patriot Act, a reform of Justice Department policies passed after the terror attacks that has been criticised as a platform for taking away civil liberties.