WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A military data-mining program produced no useful intelligence and did not identify any of the future September 11 hijackers, despite the claims of a former participant, the Pentagon's inspector-general concluded.
In a report released Thursday, the agency determined that the program, code-named Able Danger, "did not identify Mohammed Atta or any of the 9/11 hijackers before the 9/11 attack." It also found that participants in the program were not barred from sharing intelligence that could have prevented attacks -- as a former member, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, has told Congress.
"Able Danger members were not prohibited from sharing information with lawenforcement authorities or other agencies that could have acted on that information," the report concludes. "In fact, Able Danger produced no actionable intelligence information."
The report also found that Defense Department officials did not retaliate against Shaffer for taking his allegations to members of Congress and the independent commission that investigated the 9/11 attacks.
Shaffer's claims have been championed by Rep. Curt Weldon, a Pennsylvania Republican. In a statement, Weldon said the report's timing -- less than two months before the November congressional elections -- "raises serious questions about the IG's motivations."
Weldon said investigators did little to answer his questions about Shaffer's treatment by the Defense Department or the handling of documents created during the program and the circumstances under which it was shuttered.
"I am appalled that the DOD IG would expect the American people to actually consider this a full and thorough investigation," he said. "I question their motives and the content of this report, and I reject the conclusions they have drawn."
