What was true of al-Qaeda prior to the September 11 attacks?

Prior to the September 11 attacks, al-Qaeda was primarily known as a militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s, with a focus on opposing Western influence in Muslim countries. It had gained notoriety for its involvement in various terrorist activities, including the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Al-Qaeda also operated as a network of affiliated groups and cells, advocating for jihad against what it perceived as enemies of Islam, particularly the United States and its allies. Despite its global ambitions, al-Qaeda's operational capabilities were still developing, and it had not yet executed an attack on the scale of 9/11.