India was among the countries former al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden had considered targeting, according to documents released by the US Central Intelligence Agency.

The CIA on Friday released more than 70 presidential intelligence briefs linked to Bin Laden, comprising more than 100 pages, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, the NDTV reports.

A presidential brief dated Aug 28, 1998, says Bin Laden wanted to launch attacks in several countries, including India.

The other countries mentioned in the partly redacted memo are Pakistan, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Uganda and “possibly” Nigeria, the report said.

Titled “Bin Laden Terrorist Network Still a Threat”, the document does not identify a specific target in India, an attack date or a detailed operational plan. The source of the information is also redacted.

“Bin Laden’s well-established infrastructure in North America, Europe, and East Asia lends credibility to reports that he also will target US interests in these regions,” the document says.

It assessed that Bin Laden and other terrorist leaders based in Afghanistan had survived US attacks on the country and that “their communications network remains intact”.

The document said al-Qaeda had resumed training at some camps while others were being relocated.

It also said Bin Laden was seeking to launch further attacks against the US and UK hours before US missile strikes on al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan.

The memo further noted that the al-Qaeda chief could “call on a network of individuals and allied groups in at least 60 countries to conduct attacks”.

The collection of presidential intelligence briefs shows that the CIA repeatedly warned US presidents between 1998 and 2001 about the threat of a terrorist attack.

The briefs span the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W Bush, the report said.

The release offers “unprecedented transparency on America’s most sensitive intelligence publication from the years before and the day after one of the darkest moments in our history”, the CIA said in a statement.

On Sept 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four passenger planes. Two crashed into the World Trade Centre’s Twin Towers, bringing down the iconic skyscrapers.

A third plane struck the Pentagon, while the fourth, believed to have been headed for the White House or Congress, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back.