The 2001 September 11 attacks in the United States were prudently denounced by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi . Following the U.S. military response in the Afghanistan war theater , Gaddafi increasingly sought to normalize relations with the United States , initially focusing on the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Libya . On 19 December 2003 , Gaddafi made a surprise announcement of his intention to dismantle Libya 's WMD programs . The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials were quoted " Libya had bought nuclear components from various black market dealers " , and provided the various designs of centrifuges to U.S. officials and gave the name of its suppliers
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Disarmament of Libya