On September 11, 2001, FBI Special Agent Ali H. Soufan was handed a secret file. Had he received it months earlier―when it was requested―the attacks on New York and Washington could have been prevented. During his time on the front lines, Soufan helped thwart plots around the world and elicited some of the most important confessions from terrorists in the war against al-Qaeda―without laying so much as a hand on them. Most of these stories have never been reported before, and never by anyone with such intimate firsthand knowledge.
This narrative account of America's successes and failures against al-Qaeda is essential to an understanding of the terrorist group. We are taken into hideouts and interrogation rooms. We have a ringside seat at bin Laden's personal celebration of the 9/11 bombings. Such riveting details show us not only how terrorists think and operate but also how they can be beaten and brought to justice.
Chapter 1. The Fatwa and the Bet
Chapter 4. The al-Qaeda Switchboard
Chapter 5. Operation Challenge and the Manchester Manual
Chapter 6. “You’ll Be Singing Like a Canary”
Chapter 8. A Naval Destroyer in Yemen?
Chapter 10. “We’re Stubborn, but We’re Not Crazy”
Chapter 11. The Human Polygraph Machine
Chapter 12. “What Is al-Qaeda Doing in Malaysia?”
Chapter 13. Bin Laden’s Errand Boy
Chapter 14. The Binalshibh Riddle
Chapter 16. The Father of Death
Chapter 17. Bin Laden’s Escape
Chapter 21. The Contractors Take Over
Chapter 22. “We Don’t Do That”
Chapter 25. The Crystal Ball Memo