“Mekhennet fails to question any of Rajab’s official policy statements”: Samia Errazzouki and Maryam al-Khawaja, “Beware of the Middle East’s Fake Feminists,” Foreign Policy, October 22, 2013, http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/10/22/beware-of-the-middle-easts-fake-feminists/.
12: BOYS FOR THE CALIPHATE
“We have a big catastrophe”: Michael Birnbaum and Souad Mekhennet, “As Son Heads to Syrian Front, Family in Germany Plots Kidnapping to Bring Him Back,” Washington Post, November 11, 2013.
Pero’s family was devastated: Ibid.
While some German Salafists: Marwan Abou Tamm et al., “Kontinuierlicher Wandel. Organisation und Anwerbungspraxis der salafistischen Bewegung,” HSFK-Report Nr. 2, 2016, http://www.hsfk.de/fileadmin/HSFK/hsfk_publikationen/report_022016.pdf.
he always called for donations: Jörg Diehl et al., “Glaubenskrieger: Taxi in den Dschihad,” Der Spiegel 43 (2013): 36–39.
I’d profiled him several years earlier: Souad Mekhennet, “Munich Imam Strives to Dilute the Elixir of Radical Islam for Some Young People,” New York Times, May 17, 2010.
13: BRIDES FOR THE CALIPHATE
Hezbollah bombed the French paratrooper barracks: Richard Ernsberger Jr., “1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing: ‘The BLT Building Is Gone!’” HistoryNet, October 27, 2016, http://www.historynet.com/1983-beirut-bombing-the-blt-building-is-gone.htm.
they have often been the scene of antigovernment protests: Katrin Sold, “Ein unvollendeter Aufarbeitungsprozess: Der Algerienkrieg im kollektiven Gedächtnis Frankreichs,” Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, January 21, 2013, http://www.bpb.de/internationales/europa/frankreich/152531/algerienkrieg; Simone Gnade, “Problemgebiet Banlieue: Konflikte und Ausgrenzung in französischen Vorstädten,” Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, January 21, 2013, http://www.bpb.de/internationales/europa/frankreich/152511/problemgebiet-banlieue; ABC News, “Paris Attacks: A History of Terror Attacks in Modern France,” November 14, 2015, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-14/history-of-terror-attacks-in-modern-france/6940960; John R. Bowen. “Three Reasons France Became a Target for Jihad,” Time, January 8, 2015.
“It was the best times in my life”: Souad Mekhennet, “Divining the Future in Morocco,” New York Times, May 10, 2011.
“under an Islamic leader in a truly Islamic land”: Ibid.
“Maybe we could go to the Rafidain Center”: “Rafidain” is Mesopotamia/Iraq, i.e., “land of the two rivers.” Elaine Sciolino and Souad Mekhennet, “Al Qaeda Warrior Uses Internet to Rally Women,” New York Times, May 28, 2008.
Malika was one of nearly two dozen defendants: Ibid.
an eight-year prison term: “El-Aroud Loses Appeal against Eight-Year ‘Jihad’ Sentence,” Agence France-Presse, December 1, 2010.
She was sent to a group home: Michael Birnbaum and Souad Mekhennet, “Hayat Boumeddiene, Wife of Paris Attacker, Becomes France’s Most-Wanted Woman,” Washington Post, February 2, 2015.
she and Coulibaly were married in a religious ceremony: Michael Birnbaum and Souad Mekhennet, “The Woman on the Run,” Washington Post, February 3, 2015.
“My father stood in for me”: François Labrouillère and Aurélie Raya, “Le destin monstrueux d’un couple ordinaire,” Paris Match, January 30, 2015, http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Societe/Hayat-Boumeddiene-et-Amedy-Coulibaly-Le-destin-monstrueux-d-un-couple-ordinaire-700346.
a pilgrimage to Mecca: Ibid.
“evil done to innocents in occupied lands”: Ibid.
That’s how I found Meryam: Faiola and Mekhennet, “Battle with the Islamic State.”
In 2008, several Danish papers: “Prophet Mohammed Cartoons Controversy: Timeline,” Telegraph, May 4, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11341599/Prophet-Muhammad-cartoons-controversy-timeline.html.
For an earlier book, Die Kinder des Dschidad: Souad Mekhennet, Claudia Sautter, and Michael Hanfeld, Die Kinder des Dschihad: Die neue Generation des islamistischen Terrors in Europa (Munich: Piper, 2008).
14: THE SEARCH FOR AN ISLAMIST BEATLE, OR FINDING JIHADI JOHN
a prison on a mountain fifteen miles east of the Syrian city of Raqqa: James Harkin, “The Fight to Save James Foley,” Daily Telegraph, October 31, 2015.
he founded Special Emergency Response and Assistance (SERA): “SERA is focused on the distribution of aid materials to populations with an acute and immediate need. We administer aid in the form of food and cooking materials, medical supplies, and clothing.” Nick Schwellenbach, “An Army Ranger Helps Syrian Refugees,” Time, January 8, 2013.
he’d developed a deep interest in Islam: Adam Goldman, “Islamic State Beheads Aid Worker from United States,” Washington Post, November 17, 2014.
It ended with a shot of Kassig’s severed head: SITE Intelligence Group, “IS Beheads Peter Kassig, Challenges U.S. to Send Ground Troops,” November 16, 2014, https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/is-beheads-peter-kassig-challenges-u-s-to-send-ground-troops.html.
He’s a lawyer who has worked on cases involving detainees: Ben Hayes and Asim Qureshi, “‘We Are Completely Independent’: The Home Office, Breakthrough Media and the PREVENT Counter Narrative Industry,” CAGE Advocacy UK, 2016, p. 3, http://cage.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/CAGE_WACI.pdf.
“under constant pressure and scrutiny”: Kevin Rawlinson, “Charities Sever Ties with Pressure Group Cage over Mohammed Emwazi Links,” Guardian, March 6, 2015.
“They were Bidoon”: Sebastian Kohn, “Stateless in Kuwait: Who Are the Bidoon?,” Open Society Foundations, March 24, 2011, https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/stateless-kuwait-who-are-bidoon; see also abstract of Marie Brokstad Lund-Johansen, “Fighting for Citizenship in Kuwait,” master’s thesis, University of Oslo, 2014, https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/43302.
charter school called Quintin Kynaston: Tim Ross, Robert Mendick, and Edward Malnick, “Ministers Order Inquiry into Jihadi John’s School,” Telegraph, February 28, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11442434/Ministers-order-inquiry-into-Jihadi-Johns-school.html; Nile Rice, “What Going to School with Jihadi John Taught Me About Radicalization,” Vice, March 17, 2015, http://www.vice.com/read/quintin-kynaston-jihadi-john-531.
“I had a job waiting for me and marriage to get started,” Emwazi wrote: “The Emwazi Emails: CAGE Releases Its Correspondences with Emwazi in Full,” CAGE, February 28, 2015, https://cage.ngo/uncategorized/emwazi-emails-cage-releases-its-correspondences-emwazi-full/.
forbidden by Britain’s Terrorism Act of 2006: Souad Mekhennet and Dexter Filkins, “British Law against Glorifying Terrorism Has Not Silenced Calls to Kill for Islam,” New York Times, August 1, 2006.
Ladbroke Grove: Colin Freeman, “Ladbroke Grove Connection—the Wealthy West London District that Bred Jihadi John,” Telegraph, February 15, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11438534/Ladbroke-Grove-connection-the-wealthy-west-London-district-that-bred-Jihadi-John.html. Robert Mendick, “Jihadi John: From Ordinary Schoolboy to World’s Most Wanted Man,” Telegraph, February 26, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11438545/Jihadi-John-From-ordinary-schoolboy-to-worlds-most-wanted-man.html.
15: TERROR COMES HOME
In the train stations of Austria: Much of the account of the refugees in Vienna draws on reporting done by the author in collaboration with William Booth for the following article: Souad Mekhennet and William Booth, “Migrants Are Disguising Themselves as Syrians to Enter Europe,” Washington Post, September 23, 2015.
“Educationally, they are the flower of their country”: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, “Syrian Refugee Arrivals in Greece, April–September 2015,” https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/46542.
new refugees would fill a growing gap: Tina Bellon and Caroline Copley, “In Aging Germany, Refugees Seen as Tomorrow’s Skilled Workers,” Reuters, September 10, 2015.
a Shia commander named Ayyub al-Rubaie: “Abu Azrael: No Safe Place for ISIL in Iraq,” A
ll Iraq News Agency (AIN), March 18, 2015.
“ISIS, this will be your fate”: Robert Verkaik, “‘We Will Cut You like Shawarma,’” MailOnline, August 28, 2015.
accused of atrocities and serious human rights violations: “Iraq: Possible War Crimes by Shia Militia,” Human Rights Watch, January 31, 2016, https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/01/31/iraq-possible-war-crimes-shia-militia.
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, one of the ringleaders: Much of the account of Abaaoud’s background and activities draws on reporting done by the author in collaboration with Anthony Faiola for the following articles: Anthony Faiola and Souad Mekhennet, “‘He Is a Barbaric Man’—the Belgian Who May Be Behind the Paris Attacks,” Washington Post, November 16, 2015; and Anthony Faiola and Souad Mekhennet, “The Islamic State Creates a New Type of Jihadist: Part Terrorist, Part Gangster,” Washington Post, December 20, 2015.
the influence of Saudi, Kuwaiti, and Qatari religious organizations: Bruce Riedel, “Saudi Arabia Is Part of the Problem and Part of the Solution to Global Jihad,” Brookings, November 20, 2015, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2015/11/20/saudi-arabia-is-part-of-the-problem-and-part-of-the-solution-to-global-jihad/; Nikolaj Nielsen, “Bearded Infidels in the EU Capital,” EUobserver, February 1, 2016, https://euobserver.com/investigations/131883.
His worldview was set: Anthony Faiola and Souad Mekhennet, “Jihadists Adding Crime to the Mix,” Washington Post, December 21, 2015.
led to him by a crucial source: Greg Miller and Souad Mekhennet, “Friendship Led Police to Paris Ringleader,” Washington Post, April 11, 2016.
a cousin living in Paris named Hasna Aitboulahcen: Much of the account of Hasna’s experiences and those of the woman called Sonia draws on reporting done by the author in collaboration with Greg Miller for the following article: Greg Miller and Souad Mekhennet, “One Woman Helped the Mastermind of the Paris Attacks. The Other Turned Him In,” Washington Post, April 10, 2016.
EPILOGUE: THE DEEPEST CUT
The whole thing took several hours: “Münchener Amokläufer wollte keine weiteren Menschen töten,” Zeit Online, August 17, 2016, http://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2016-08/lka-amoklauf-muenchen-taeter-ende-toetung-selbstmord; “Täter erschoss 9 Menschen. Das sind die Opfer des Amoklaufs von München,” Focus Online, July 23, 2016, http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/taeter-erschoss-9-menschen-das-sind-die-opfer-des-amoklaufs-von-muenchen_id_5756199.html.
purchased illegally on the so-called dark web: Jana Illhardt and Matthias Maus, “David S. hat seine Tat ein Jahr lang geplant,” Der Tagesspiegel, July 24, 2016, http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/wer-war-der-amokschuetze-david-s-hat-seine-tat-ein-jahr-lang-geplant/13918328.html; Lars Langenau, “Ein Täter, 58 Kugeln—der Amoklauf von München,” Süddeutsche Zeitung, July 24, 2016, http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/amoklauf-in-muenchen-ein-taeter-kugeln-1.3093354.
the umra pilgrimage: Contrary to the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which every Muslim should undertake once, as it is one of the five pillars of Islam, and which has to take place in the first days of the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar (Dhu῾l-Hijja), the umra can be undertaken at any time of the year.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would not have been possible without many people’s support, advice, and labor.
I cannot thank Vanessa Gezari and Margot Williams enough for their crucial impact, support, and contributions. They are wonderful friends and became the godmothers of this project.
Peter Finn is not only one of the most talented editors at the Washington Post, he was also very helpful in the writing and editing process of this book. I owe Peter the greatest thanks for introducing me to the world of U.S. journalism when I started this journey, and he has since become a trusted adviser and friend.
My friend and former New York Times editor Christine Kay helped me develop the idea of this book and has since been a source of inspiration and support.
Michael Moss is not only one of the most talented reporters but he has also been a source of support through all these years, and his family has always welcomed me with warmth at their home.
I am also thankful to Julie Tate, Charlotte Wiemann, and Stefan Pauly for their extraordinary work as fact-checkers and researchers. They have been a great source of enthusiasm and worked on this project with an unstoppable spirit.
Many important characters and sources who appear in this book and helped me with information and access cannot be named. They are spread across five continents and couldn’t be more different from one another. They have trusted me with their opinions and stories, and this book could not have been written without their assistance.
I was helped immensely throughout this writing process by the support and encouragement of a number of friends, especially Antje and Robert Ehrt (my godparents), Laila Alaoui, Loulwa Bakr, Steffen Burkhardt, Michel Friedman, Lama Hourani, Adam Hunter, Ali Ibrahim, Lonnie Isabel, Ryan Nibblins, Claudia Sautter, Baerbel Schaefer, Soraya Sebti, and Dina Shoman. They have cheerfully served as editors and sounding boards as well as indispensable sources of strength and steadiness.
My friend Nicholas Kulish—also my coauthor on The Eternal Nazi—offered suggestions and support that were invaluable.
My Washington Post colleagues and friends Joby Warrick, Greg Miller, and Anthony Faiola helped with their suggestions and edits to shape the book.
I could not have attempted this book without the generous support of my employer, the Washington Post, and so many Post colleagues and friends. I am especially indebted to Marty Baron, Cameron Barr, Tracy Grant, and Scott Wilson for their kindness in allowing me to pursue this project. I am also grateful to Michael Birnbaum, William Booth, Karen DeYoung, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Adam Goldman, Anne Hull, David Ignatius, Doug Jehl, Carol Morello, Ellen Nakashima, Missy Ryan, Anthony Shadid, Mary Beth Sheridan, Kevin Sullivan, Griff Witte, and Jia Lynn Yang.
Special thanks to some family friends and colleagues for their help and insights throughout the years, among them Abdulla Alkhan, Silvia Console Battilana, Raymond Bonner, Martin Bussmann, Desmond Butler, John Crewdson, Inge Feldhusen, Judith Fessler, Marcie Goldstein, Christian Haenel, Michael Hanfeld, Ingeborg Hensel, Almut Hielscher, Jason Isaacson, Yaakov Katz, Vivian Kervick, Renate Lehnert, Moulay Tayyib Mdghri-Alaoui, his wife Aisha and daughter Leila, Guy Raz, Majda and Boris Ruge, Steven Sokol, Yaroslav Trofimov, and Ivan Vatchkov. I thank Ann Marie Lipinski and Stefanie Friedhoff for their kind support during my Nieman Fellowship, where I had the chance to work with amazing writing teachers like Anne Bernays and Paige Williams.
My New America Foundation fellowship gave me freedom to report and write this book for some time without distractions. I would like to thank especially Peter Bergen for his help and friendship.
Thanks also to the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, the Weatherhead Center at Harvard University, and the Geneva Center for Security Policy, for their access to valuable information. Special thanks as well to Professors Carla Adams, Vali Nasr, and Karl Kaiser.
At ZDF, I would like to thank Elmar Thevessen and Claus Kleber for their support.
The former executive editor of the New York Times Bill Keller provided the backing and support that allowed me to gain a foothold in American journalism.
At the New York Times, I was lucky to work with some amazing editors like Matt Purdy during my time at the Investigative Unit. I also had the honor to work with some very talented colleagues, and I can’t thank them enough for their insight, among them Richard Bernstein, Chris Chivers, Bryan Denton, Steven Erlanger, Carlotta Gall, Mike Kamber, Mark Landler, Mark Mazzetti, Jehad Nga, Richard Oppel, Monique and Lonnie Schlein, Eric Schmitt, Elaine Sciolino, Alison Smale, Craig Smith, Marion Underhill, and Don Van Natta.
A very special thanks goes to all the fantastic local reporters whose help and input have been crucial in so many projects throughout the years: Fakhr al Ayoubi, Said Chitour, Jamal Ismail, Ranya Kadri, Leena Saidi, Marwan Shada, Ahmad Zouhir, and others who cannot be name
d here due to possible threats to their lives.
Some people have helped to provide spaces where I was able to work on this book in my free time: special thanks to Abdelilah al Aouni, Samy Boukhaled, Kamal Bouskri, and Malek Houssein.
I am ever grateful to my literary agent, Gail Ross, for her suggestions, spirit, faith in this project, and advice, and to the entire staff of the Ross Yoon Literary Agency for logistical support.
I’m indebted as well to the people at Henry Holt and Company, including Leslie Brandon, Patricia Eisemann, Fiona Lowenstein, Devon Mazzone, Maggie Richards, and Stephen Rubin.
And I’m profoundly thankful for the assistance of my remarkably talented editor Paul Golob, who saw potential in my book proposal. Any successes in these pages are a tribute to his strong ideas, peerless editing skills, and patience.
Finally, and most important, I would like to express my love and deepest gratitude to my parents, Aydanur and Boujema, and my siblings, Fatma, Hannan, and Hicham. None of this book would have been possible without all of them. And not one day passes where I don’t remember my grandparents, who have influenced my life so much and are no longer with us.
INDEX
The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function on your e-reading device to search for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.
Abaaoud, Abdelhamid
Abaaoud, Younes
Abdelilah (Moroccan driver)
Abdeslam, Salah
Abdullah, king of Jordan
Abraham
Abssi, Shaker al-
Abu Aara (Iraqi stringer)
Abu Ali (Iraqi driver)
Abu Anas, Sheikh (Ahmad Salah)
Abu Azrael. See Rubaie, Ayyub al-
Abu Bakr (father-in-law of the Prophet)
Abu Dania (driver)
I Was Told to Come Alone Page 39
