Rumsfeld, Powell quizzed over 9/11

Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell are today being questioned over damaging claims that they failed to take seriously intelligence warnings about the threat from al Qaeda before the September 11 attacks.

Mr Powell, the US secretary of state, and defence secretary Mr Rumsfeld will give evidence to an independent commission investigating the attacks.

Former White House terrorism co-ordinator Richard Clarke claimed yesterday that prior to 9/11, George Bush and his closest advisers ignored the growing threat from al Qaeda because they were looking for an excuse to attack Iraq.

He claimed that immediately after the attacks on New York and Washington, which left more than 3,000 dead, President Bush demanded that Mr Clarke establish a link with Iraq, when it was clear none existed. Mr

Rumsfeld and Mr Powell will face questions about Mr Clarke's claims and wider accusations that they neglected the threat from Osama bin Laden.

Commission chairman Thomas Kean said: "This is clearly one of the most important hearings the commission will hold.

"We will bring together senior officials responsible for national security policy from the past two administrations, to explain how they handled the most pressing security threat to our country."

The evidence presented over the next two days comes at a sensitive time for Mr Bush, facing growing election-year disquiet about his handling of the run-up to September 11 and his decision to invade Iraq.

The nine-member bipartisan commission hears evidence tomorrow from Mr Clarke, who is expected to repeat his claims. The hearings have been set up to "investigate the formulation and conduct of US counterterrorism" with particular regard to the period from the US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1988 to 9/11 2001.