by J. M. Berger
Much of my work is based on documents, and many people were generous in sharing the primary source material that forms the core of the narrative. The Motley Rice law firm in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, working to represent the families of the victims of September 11, has created an unparalleled resource on al Qaeda and Islamic extremism, and its lawyers shared material with me that would never have seen the light of day without their efforts. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston endured a great deal of hassle in making documents from the Boston Al Kifah Center available to me, and I want to thank Aloke Chakravarty and Christina Dilorio-Sterling for their help and their patience. Terrorism investigators J. C. Brisard and Evan Kohlmann generously provided key information and documents relating to Bosnia. Peter Lance provided transcripts of the World Trade Center bombing and the “Day of Terror” court cases.
Several people helped on the back end of the book as well. David Hebditch and Ola Flyum, the makers of the television documentary Sarajevo Ricochet, gave me the opportunity to go to Bosnia and to conduct on film several of the interviews used in this book. The outstanding Bosnian Muslim journalist Esad Hecimovic shared both information and insight. Jody Jenkins, the writer and the producer of the American Jihadist documentary, helped with advice on sources at various points and with a screener copy of the excellent film, which was directed by Mark Claywell. Roxanne Euben and Aaron Zelin provided me with invaluable help in understanding the complexities of jihadist ideology, and Aaron also provides notes on an early draft of the manuscript. Thanks are also due to Lawrence Wright and Marissa Allison for facilitating conversations with some of their own valued sources.
Chris Heffelfinger, of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, introduced me to Hilary Claggett of Potomac Books, Inc., who gave me the chance to write this book. She and Katie Neubauer of Potomac helped turn it around fast.
Anne Berger transcribed hours of audio with amazing accuracy, expending extraordinary effort to get down often-obscure Arabic terms, sift through accents, and enhance source files that were often less than ideal. At various points, she enlisted most of the rest of my family to assist in this effort.
Geneva Berger has read probably tens of thousands of pages of things I have written over the years, always providing support and encouragement, even when the material never made it out of my desk drawer, and I am incredibly grateful for that.
Rachel Milton helped in more ways than I can count, talking out difficult issues, developing ideas, providing source material, and remembering who was who and who did what to whom, and she was always available with a phone number or e-mail address of someone I needed to talk to.
Finally, this book literally could not have been written without the assistance of Janet Walsh. Through a very long haul, she offered nothing but faith, support, and incredible patience. She helped me talk through problems and issues, listened to stories, read through drafts, and allowed me the freedom to carve out a niche in a very challenging profession, even when it seemed like a long shot. Not to mention the marathon editing session in 95-degree heat. I can’t express how much I appreciate all of this and more.
NOTES
Introduction
1. State Department Cable, “Execution of Mosque Attackers,” JIDDA 00210, January 10, 1980; Yaroslav Trofimov, The Siege of Mecca (New York: Doubleday, 2007), 240–241.
2. Trofimov, The Siege of Mecca; J. M. Berger, ed., The Siege at Mecca Sourcebook (Intelwire Press, 2006), ii–iii.
3. State Department Cable, STATE 012300, no subject specified, January 16, 1980.
4. Steve Emerson, “Abdullah Assam: The Man before Osama Bin Laden,” International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, retrieved August 25, 2010, http://www.iacsp.com/itobli3.html.
Chapter 1. The Early Years
1. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Jane Idleman Smith, eds., Muslim Communities in North America (Albany: SUNY Press, 1994), 31.
2. Jonathan Curiel, “Muslim Roots, U.S. Blues,” Saudi Aramco World, July–August 2006, retrieved August 10, 2010, http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200604/muslim.roots.u.s.blues.htm.
3. Akbar Ahmed, Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2010), Kindle edition, locations 2335–2341.
4. Curiel, “Muslim Roots, U.S. Blues.”
5. See http://www.moorishsciencetempleofamericainc.com/MoorishHistory.html, retrieved August 16, 2010.
6. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, ed., The Muslims of America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993), 111–123; author analysis of documents from DePaul University Archives: Islam in America: Muslim Students’ Association collection; and Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Sam Roe, and Laurie Cohen, “A Rare Look at Secretive Brotherhood in America,” Chicago Tribune, September 19, 2004.
7. Ian Johnson, A Mosque in Munich: Nazis, the CIA, and the Muslim Brotherhood in the West (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010), 89.
8. More than twenty years of Muslim World League Journal publications in English were reviewed by the author from 1977 through 2003. The issues were provided by Motley Rice law firm.
9. John W. King, The Breeding of Contempt (Xlibris, 2002); Pierre Tristam, “What Was the 1977 Hanafi Siege in Washington, D.C.?” About.com, retrieved August 18, 2010 http://middleeast.about.com/od/religionsectarianism/f/me090310a.htm.
10. “Islamic Organizations’ Conference, Newark, USA—A Report,” Muslim World League Journal (May 1977); Proceedings of the First Islamic Conference of North America (Muslim World League, 1977).
11. For an overview, see Yaroslav Trofimov, The Siege of Mecca (New York: Double-day, 2007); Steve Coll, Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 (New York: Penguin Press, 2004); Encyclopedia Britannica, “Iran Hostage Crisis,” retrieved August 18, 2010, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/272687/Iranhostage-crisis.
12. Trofimov, The Siege of Mecca; J. M. Berger, ed., The Siege at Mecca Sourcebook (Intelwire Press, 2006); State Department cables were obtained by the author through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including all cables cited in the following notes.
13. State Department Cable, “Execution of Mosque Attackers,” JIDDA 00210, January 10, 1980.
14. State Department Cable, no subject specified, STATE 012300, January 16, 1980.
15. Trofimov, The Siege of Mecca, 240–241.
16. State Department Cable, “Booklet Attributed to Perpetrators of Grand Mosque Incident,” KUWAIT 05422, November 29, 1979.
17. Confidential interview, March 2007; Peter Bergen, The Osama bin Laden I Know (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006), 16.
18. Vincent Jauvert, “Oui, la CIA est entrée en Afghanistan avant les Russes … ,” Le Nouvel Observateur, January 15, 1998, retrieved August 17, 2010, http://hebdo.nouvelobs.com/sommaire/documents/008877/oui-la-cia-est-entree-enafghanistan-avant-les-russes.html.
19. Video: We Are Afghanistan, U.S. Information Agency (State Department), obtained from the National Archives.
20. Greg Krikorian, “Singlaub to Lead Anti-Communist Group,” San Diego Union-Tribune, September 4, 1984; Orr Kelly, “How Americans Help Finance Foreign Wars,” U.S. News & World Report, September 23, 1985.
21. “Rabita Delegation Visits to South-East Asia,” Muslim World League Journal (March 1980). Rabita al-Alam al-Islami is the Arabic name of the Muslim World League.
22. Charles R. Babcock, “Dallas Hosts Anti-Communist League; Diverse Group Hears Insurgents Plead for ‘No-Strings’ Funding,” Washington Post, September 17, 1985.
23. Peter L. Bergen, Holy War, Inc: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002), 55.
24. DePaul University Archives: Islam in America: Muslim Students’ Association collection: “Muslim Scholars Visit ITC,” Islamic Teaching Center News, February 1978. The Islamic Teaching Center was a spin-off controlled by the Muslim Students Association. One of the people Azzam met with was former MSA president Eltigani
Abugidieri, who was also linked to the Muslim World League.
25. Najwa and Omar Bin Laden, Growing Up Bin Laden: Osama’s Wife and Son Take Us inside Their Secret World (New York: Macmillan, 2009), 24–26; see also “Osama in America: The Final Answer,” New Yorker, June 30, 2009, http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/stevecoll/2009/06/osama-in-america-the-final-answer.html.
26. The 9-11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Official Government Edition (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2004), 58.
27. An Interview with Tamim Adnani, Director of the Mujahideen Service Office in Afghanistan (Lawrence Islamic Video, 1988), obtained by the author.
28. Mark Ensalaco, Middle Eastern Terrorism: From Black September to September 11 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008), 131.
29. Bergen, The Osama bin Laden I Know, 27.
30. Undated Abdullah Azzam video, circulated online by al Qaeda, obtained by the author.
31. Abdullah Azzam, Join the Caravan (Boston: Care International, 1995).
32. USA v. Omar Abdel Rahman et al., S5 93 Cr. 181, court transcript, July 13, 1995, Testimony of Khaled Ibrahim.
33. Hampton-El’s biography is based on the following sources except where otherwise noted: author interviews with Alia Rashid, June 26, 2008, and October 23, 2008; USA v. Omar Abdel Rahman et al., S5 93 Cr. 181, August 1, 1995, and August 2, 1995, Testimony of Clement Hampton-El.
34. USA v. Omar Abdel Rahman, S5 93 Cr. 181, court transcript, June 5, 1995, citation of surveillance audio.
35. USA v. Abdel Rahman, S5 93 Cr. 181, case heading; author interviews with Tom Corrigan, June 24, 2008, through June 23, 2010, inclusive; and author interview with Islamic cleric Bilal Philips, August 25, 2010.
36. Author e-mail interview with Clement Hampton-El, conducted during several months in 2010.
37. Hampton-El propaganda video, provided to the author by former JTTF investigator Tom Corrigan.
38. USA v. Fawaz Damrah, No. 04-4216, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Opinion, March 15, 2005.
39. USA v. Omar Abdel Rahman et al., S5 93 Cr. 181, court transcript, August 2–3, 1995, Testimony of Clement Hampton-El (Abdullah Rashid).
40. Interview with counterterrorism expert Evan Kohlmann, June 23, 2008; physical description of Zaki from images in The Martyrs of Bosnia propaganda videotape obtained by the author; and biographical data derived from court exhibits obtained by the author from U.S. v. Muhamed Mubayyid, Emadeddin Muntasser, and Samir Al Monla, Criminal Action No. 05-40026-FDS (2007).
41. USA v. Omar Abdel Rahman et al., S5 93 Cr. 181, Hampton-El propaganda video.
42. Author interviews with Alia Rashid, June 26, 2008, and October 23, 2008.
43. USA v. Omar Abdel Rahman et al., S5 93 Cr. 181, Hampton-El propaganda video.
44. Ibid.
45. Author interviews with Alia Rashid, June 26, 2008, and October 23, 2008.
46. USA v. Omar Abdel Rahman et al., S5 93 Cr. 181, Hampton-El Testimony.
47. Ibid.; author interviews with Tom Corrigan, June 24, 2008, through June 23, 2010, inclusive.
Chapter 2. Al Qaeda’s Americans
1. Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (New York: Knopf, 2006), 131–132. Bayazid was contacted with a request for an interview but stopped responding during discussions.
2. Tony Rizzo, “KC Man Linked to Al Qaeda,” Kansas City Star, September 9, 2006.
3. Wright, The Looming Tower, 109–110.
4. USA v. Omar Abdel Rahman et al., S5 93 Cr. 181, July 13, 1995, Testimony of Khaled Ibrahim.
5. An Interview with Tamim Adnani, Director of the Mujahideen Service Office in Afghanistan (Lawrence Islamic Video, 1988), obtained by the author.
6. Wright, The Looming Tower, 110.
7. Letter from Osama bin Laden to Abu Ridah Al Suri, spring 1987. The letter was part of a collection of al Qaeda documents known as the “Tareekh Osama” file, which were recovered from an al Qaeda hard drive seized by the FBI in Bosnia and obtained by the author.
8. Wright, The Looming Tower, 115–117.
9. Minutes of an August 11, 1988, meeting, formation of al Qaeda, Tareekh Osama files. See also Wright, The Looming Tower, 131–132, 402n. Bayazid denied attending the meeting, but the denial must be measured against the document evidence, including the handwritten meeting minutes, obtained by the author. Wright notes Bayazid’s denial, but his account describes Bayazid as being present at the meeting and recording the minutes.
10. Peter Bergen, The Osama bin Laden I Know (New York: Free Press, 2006), 92.
11. Steve Coll, Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 (New York: Penguin Press, 2004), 204.
12. Minutes of an August 11, 1988, meeting, formation of al Qaeda, Tareekh Osama files.
13. Minutes of an August 20, 1988, meeting, formation of al Qaeda, Tareekh Osama files.
14. US v. Usama bin Laden et al., S(7) 98 Cr. 1023, Indictment, November 5, 1998, Superseding Indictment, S(10) 98 Cr. 1023 (LBS), undated.
15. Undated El Hage al Qaeda application, Tareekh Osama files. The document lists El Hage’s age as twenty-eight, which puts the application around 1988, making El Hage one of the first members.
16. FBI FD-302 Record of Interrogation, Wadih El Hage, September 23, 1997.
17. Oriana Zill, “A Portrait of Wadih El Hage, Accused Terrorist,” PBS Frontline website, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/inladen/upclose/elhage.html, retrieved June 17, 2010; Kevin Peraino and Evan Thomas, “Odyssey into Jihad,” Newsweek, January 14, 2002; and undated El Hage al Qaeda application, Tareekh Osama files.
18. USA v. Usama bin Laden, S(7) 98 Cr. 1023, February 6, 2001, and subsequent days, Testimony of Jamal Al Fadl.
19. Wright, The Looming Tower, 110.
20. Photographs retrieved from an al Qaeda computer seized in Bosnia, obtained by the author.
21. USA v. Daniel Patrick Boyd, et al., 5:09cr216-1FL, Indictment, July 22, 2009.
22. Surveillance audio, retrieved June 17, 2010, http://www.investigativeproject.org/1357/05-20-2009-140800-141005mp3.
23. Surveillance audio, retrieved June 17, 2010, http://www.investigativeproject.org/1359/06-10-2009-124355-124600mp3.
24. Tom Hays and Sharon Theimer, “Egyptian Agent Worked with Green Berets, bin Laden,” Associated Press, December 31, 2001.
25. USA v Ali Mohamed, S(7) 98 Cr. 1023 (LBS), Plea Hearing, October 20, 2000.
26. Montasser Al Zayat, The Road to Al Qaeda: The Story of Bin Laden’s Right-Hand Man (Sterling, Virginia: Pluto Press, 2003), 45, 54.
27. This analysis runs counter to some conventional wisdom, which holds that al Qaeda and EIJ merged at a much later date. Yet the testimony of Jamal Al Fadl and other al Qaeda members clearly shows how closely intertwined the two organizations were. It may be helpful to think of EIJ as al Qaeda’s special forces branch—in some respects, a distinct operation but still clearly part of the same army.
28. Benjamin Weiser and James Risen, “The Masking of a Militant: A Special Report,” New York Times, December 1, 1998.
29. Interviews with former CIA analyst Michael Scheuer, October 27, 2008, and August 18, 2009; Triple-Cross: Bin Laden’s Spy in America (National Geographic Video, 2007). The author was the lead researcher for this television documentary, and a small amount of unpublished material from that project is referenced throughout under this citation.
30. Weiser and Risen, “The Masking of a Militant: A Special Report.”
31. Andrew Martin and Michael J. Berens, “Terrorists Evolved in U.S.: 2 Egyptians Set Stage for Attacks,” Chicago Tribune, December 11, 2001.
32. Bergen, The Osama bin Laden I Know, 103.
33. Triple Cross (video).
34. Ibid.; Weiser and Risen, “The Masking of a Militant: A Special Report.”
35. USA v. Rahman, S5 93 Cr. 181, Nosair Exhibit JJJ-1 (Ali Moham
ed video).
36. USA v Ali Abdelseoud Mohamed, Affidavit of Daniel Coleman, September 1998.
37. Al Zayat, The Road to Al Qaeda, 37; Wright, The Looming Tower, 409n; and T5 B7 Analysis of Immigration Status of Pre-9-11 Terrorists Fdr-Entire Contents 196, retrieved July 18, 2010, http://www.scribd.com/doc/16729114/T5-B7-Analysis-of-Immigration-Status-of-Pre911-Terrorists-Fdr-Entire-Contents-196.
38. USA v. Rahman, S5 93 Cr. 181, multiple exhibits.
39. The Al Qaeda Manual, retrieved June 19, 2010, http://www.justice.gov/ag/manualpart1_1.pdf, Paul Butler, PDASD (SO/LIC), Briefing on Detainee Operations at Guantanamo Bay, U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs), retrieved June 19, 2010, http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=2071.
40. USA v. Omar Abdel Rahman et al., S5 93 Cr. 181, Testimony of Khaled Ibrahim.
41. John Miller and Michael Stone with Chris Mitchell, The Cell: Inside the 9/11 Plot and Why the FBI and CIA Failed to Stop It (New York: Hyperion, 2003), 48–49; Nexis address search. By coincidence, the author lived in the same neighborhood at approximately the same time.
42. Author interviews with Tom Corrigan, June 24, 2008, through June 23, 2010, inclusive.
43. Author interviews with Alia Rashid, June 26, 2008, and October 23, 2008.
44. US v. Usama bin Laden et al., S(7) 98 Cr. 1023, February 15, 2001.
45. Zak Ebrahim speech at the 2010 Student Peace Alliance National Conference, February 26, 2010, Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas, retrieved August 20, 2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnDHorm0DjM.
46. USA v. Omar Abdel Rahman et al., S5 93 Cr. 181, Testimony of Khaled Ibrahim.
