by Fred Burton
ARSO:
Assistant Regional Security Officer
ATA:
Antiterrorism Assistance
CIA:
Central Intelligence Agency
DCM:
Deputy Chief of Mission
DOD:
Department of Defense
DS:
Bureau of Diplomatic Security and term for Diplomatic Security Service
DS/CC:
DS Command Center
DSS:
Diplomatic Security Service
EAC:
Benghazi Emergency Action Committee (U.S. State Department)
FAST:
U.S. Marine Corps Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team
FAV:
fully armored vehicle
FBI:
Federal Bureau of Investigation
FEBRUARY 17:
February 17 Martyrs Brigade (a local Benghazi militia)
FE/BR:
Forced-entry/blast-resistant
FSN:
Foreign Service national
FSNI:
Foreign Service National Investigator
GRS:
CIA’s Global Response Staff; contracted dignitary protection operators
ICRC:
International Committee of the Red Cross
IED:
Improvised Explosive Device
IMO:
Information Management Officer
JSOC:
U.S. DOD Joint Special Operations Command
MANPAD:
Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems (shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles)
M4:
the ruggedized and tactically modular shorter and lighter version of the U.S. M16A2 5.56 mm assault rifle
MSD:
Diplomatic Security Service Mobile Security Deployment global tactical team
MSG:
Marine Security Guard
NGO:
nongovernment organization
NTC:
National Transitional Council
PKM:
Soviet- (and Russian-) produced 7.62 × 54 mm squad-support light machine gun
QRF:
Quick Reaction Force
RPG:
Soviet- (and Russian-) produced shoulder-fired antitank grenade
RSO:
Regional Security Officer
SCIF:
Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility
SCORPION:
the most skilled and veteran CIA GRS contractors*
SEO:
security engineering officer
SSC:
Supreme Security Committee (a coalition of individual and divergently minded Libyan militias)
SST:
Site Security Team
SY:
Office of Security
TCCC:
Tactical Combat Casualty Care training
TDY:
Temporary Duty assignment
TOC:
Tactical Operations Center
USSOCOM:
U.S. Special Operations Command
VBIED:
Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device
Acknowledgments
They didn’t know it at the time, but the paths of Fred Burton and Samuel M. Katz would begin to intersect in February 1995.
Burton, deputy chief of the Counterterrorism Division at the Diplomatic Security Service, had just bucked State Department protocol in facilitating the arrest of Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a terrorist genius who was in the execution stage of one of the most grandiose terrorist plots in history—the destruction of a dozen airliners over the Pacific, killing four thousand people in the process, and the assassinations of both Pope John Paul II and President Bill Clinton in the Philippines. Burton had learned from the two ARSOs in Islamabad that Yousef was in town finalizing details of his heinous plot, and the DS agents assigned to the embassy were poised to seize him; the U.S. State Department Rewards for Justice Program had issued a $2 million reward for Yousef, and he topped the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Previously, when the DS agents in country were close to capturing Yousef, State Department protocol of notifying the Pakistani government led to Yousef’s being mysteriously tipped off; he subsequently escaped. Burton was not going to let that happen. A lucky blizzard crippled the D.C. area, and Burton found himself the only person able to get to work the morning the agents sent a cable regarding Yousef’s whereabouts. It happened to be a fateful storm. All the agents needed was a green light from HQ to proceed, along with Pakistani internal security forces, and snatch Yousef. Burton thought of the higher purpose over the niceties of bureaucracy and gave them the authorization to move. The two DS agents in Islamabad spearheaded the arrest, and Yousef was brought to justice. Burton’s DS career, though, was over.
Katz was writing a book about the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU) in February 1995, when on a serendipitous four-to-twelve shift he found himself witnessing history while riding along with a unit lieutenant who had been summoned to respond—along with a force of some twelve ESU cops—to the South Street heliport to pick up a package from Pakistan. That package was Ramzi Yousef, being returned to the United States, to be arraigned at 26 Federal Plaza. A few months later, a member of the NYPD Emergency Service Unit whom Katz had befriended while researching his book called him to say, “Your next book should be on DS.” When Katz asked why anyone would want to write a book about the Department of Sanitation, the police officer used some colorful language and then said, “Diplomatic Security!” The ESU officer went on to tell Katz that it was DS that had captured Ramzi Yousef in Pakistan and that no one knew its story. After a few meetings with some of the more colorful DS agents of that period, Katz began looking at how he could tell that story. The DS story would soon be told in articles, books, and documentaries. That journey, though, began in June 1996 when Katz met Burton at a mini UN General Assembly in New York City before spending time with the first of the many DS protective details he would have the chance to experience. Burton and Katz spoke at length when they first met and became instant friends.
* * *
There are a few people whom Fred Burton and Samuel M. Katz would like to thank collectively. We would like to offer our most sincere gratitude to our agent, James D. Hornfischer, for his vision, guidance, and support in realizing this project with us. Jim has been a good friend during this process and a good teacher. We are both grateful to him. We would also like to thank our editor at St. Martin’s Press, Marc Resnick. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Marc, and we are both incredibly fortunate to have had such a unique and enjoyable experience.
We both owe a tremendous amount of thanks to Rami El Obeidi, a heroic and patriotic Libyan. We would like to thank Dan Meehan, and Al Golacinski, two very unique and talented SY and DS agents, and Greg Bujac, former DS director. We would also like to thank Charles Woods, father of Tyrone Woods, for giving of himself, and we would like to thank the former comrade of Glen Doherty’s in the U.S. Navy SEALs Clint Bruce. Bruce founded Carry the Load (www.carrytheload.org), which is a nonprofit organization helping people celebrate a meaningful Memorial Day by partnering with communities to hold local events and hosting a cross-country relay to honor veterans and active-duty service members, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and their families.
We would also like to thank Steve Bray, retired RSO/DS agent, for his firsthand insight on the attack of the U.S. embassy in Saigon, and the family of the SY agent Jack Herse, murdered in Rosslyn, Virginia. A special note of thanks, as well, to former RSO/DS SAIC Pat O’Hanlon for shedding light on the Herse murder. We’d also like to thank former CIA and State Department officer Larry Johnson.
The authors would like to thank Dr. Dustin Tauferner, an American hero, for his life-saving efforts on the battlefield. We would also like to thank Mike Janke, former U.S. Navy SEAL, bestselling author, and CEO and cofounder of Silent Circle (www.silentcircle.co
m). We would like to thank Jamie Smith, a true American patriot and hero, who provided incredible assistance for the book. His forthcoming book about the gray world of counterterrorism missions will be an exciting and eye-opening read. We would also like to offer our heartfelt thanks to the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation, a charitable organization that honors Glen’s life by helping others by paying it forward, for their support and assistance; the foundation’s Web site is http://www.glendohertyfoundation.org.
We would like to offer our special thanks to Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
Of course a book of this nature—especially one concerning sensitive information and about what has become so controversial and polarizing a topic—would not have been possible were it not for some amazing contacts and some very close friends in government and in the security and intelligence communities. These men and women gave us their confidence, their insight, a recollection of events, and their stewardship. They asked very little of us other than that we keep their identities a secret. Some are still working in their capacities, and being quoted in a book does not coexist with the pursuit of their long-term career aspirations and covert existences. It is important, though, that they know how grateful we both are.
And, of course, there are individual thanks to be made by each of us.
I would like to thank Stratfor’s Dr. George and Meredith Friedman, Shea Morenz, Tom Prate, Aaron Kozmetsky, Scott Stewart, Kyle Rhodes and the multimedia department, Anya Alfano, Korena Zucha, Ben Sledge, for his wonderful graphics, and Stratfor’s research department.
I would also like to thank my children, Jimmy, Katie, and Maddie, for their unwavering love and support. Finally, to my wife, Sharon, I’ve been truly blessed to have you beside me and thank you for your endless support and love.
—Fred Burton
I would like to thank Tommy Gallagher and Vincent O. Martinez III, the two men who introduced me to DS and two of the best and most loyal friends anywhere. I would like to thank the real-life DS “Dirty Harry” Scot “Doc” Folensbee, a man whose life reads more like James Bond’s than a federal agent’s and someone who has taught me an awful lot about personal courage.
I would like to thank Dr. Thomas Burke of Massachusetts General for his time and generous insight, as well as for his service; one’s life seems “light” when it is compared with that of someone who has traveled to the most dangerous spots on the planet to render aid and medical assistance to the most needy. I would like to thank Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid for her friendship, kindness, and undeserved generosity. I would also like to thank my good friend Mohammed Najib for his invaluable Arabic assistance.
I would like to thank my three children for the inspiration, joy, and pride they give me. Last, but certainly not least, I wish to thank my wife, Sigi—a woman who has given me the gift of love and who has made my life truly worth living.
—Samuel M. Katz
We are big supporters of the DSS and its agents and the families they sometimes leave behind. The Diplomatic Security Foundation (DSF.) is a 501c(3) charitable nonprofit, that provides timely financial support and charitable contributions to members of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, security professionals, and other colleagues in the law enforcement and foreign affairs communities. For more information on how to support this wonderful organization, please visit: http://www.dsfoundation.org/.
Notes
PROLOGUE: THE ONCOMING STORM
1. Interview, January 30, 2013.
2. As per the U.K. Foreign Office, March 15, 2013.
3. Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Army) Andrew Wood, in testimony before the U.S. Congressional Oversight Committee, Washington, D.C., October 10, 2012.
4. Huma Khan, “Benghazi Doctor: Gadhafi Using Foreign Mercenaries to Quell Protests,” ABC News, February 22, 2011.
5. Interview, August 6, 2012, posted on UN Web site (UNSMIL).
6. Michel Cousins, “Tunisian Consulate in Benghazi Attacked,” Libya Herald, June 18, 2012.
7. Michel Cousins, “Terrorists Strike in Misrata,” Libya Herald, August 5, 2012.
8. James Risen, Mark Mazzetti, and Michael S. Schmidt, “U.S.-Approved Arms for Libyan Rebels Fell into Jihadis’ Hands,” The New York Times, December 5, 2012.
9. Interview, March 3, 2013.
1: THE LIBYAN
1. Sami Yousafzai and Ron Moreau, “Killed by a Drone Strike, Top al Qaeda Recruiter Abu Yahya al-Libi Will Be Hard to Replace,” The Daily Beast, June 6, 2012.
2. Michael Moss and Souad Mekhennet, “Rising Leader for Next Phase of Al Qaeda’s War,” The New York Times, April 4, 2008.
2: THE GLOBAL PROTECTORS IN A WORLD AT WAR
1. John Pimlott, “The Tet Offensive,” in Vietnam: The Decisive Battles (New York: Macmillan, 1990), 128.
2. June 2012 e-mail exchanges with retired SY/DS agent Steve Bray.
3. June 16, 2012, e-mail from retired SY/DS agent Steve Bray.
4. Interview, February 17, 2013.
5. http://www.state.gov/m/ds/terrorism/c8583.htm.
3: 9.11.12: A FIERY MORNING IN THE ARAB SPRING
1. Billy Hallowell, “What Does the Film Show? This Is the Anti-Muhammed Movie That Sparked Deadly Islamist Protests in Egypt and Libya Yesterday,” The Blaze, September 12, 2012.
2. Roee Nahmias, “Egypt to Try Embassy Rioters,” Jerusalem Post, September 10, 2011.
3. Cameron W. Barr, “A Day of Terror Recalled: 1979 Embassy Siege in Islamabad Still Haunts Survivors,” The Washington Post, November 27, 2004.
4. http://www.state.gov/m/ds/rls/50458.htm.
4: LIBYA
1. Fred Burton, Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorist Agent (New York: Random House, 2008).
2. http://www.odmp.org/officer/10093-special-agent-daniel-emmett-oconnor; and http://www.odmp.org/officer/7906-special-agent-ronald-albert-lariviere.
3. Steven Erlanger, “A U.S. Envoy Who Plunged into Arab Life,” The New York Times, September 15, 2012.
4. Ibid.
5. Mario Montoya, “Mission to a Revolution,” U.S. Department of State, December 2011, 20.
5: SPECIAL MISSION BENGHAZI
1. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/06/201161214758950926.html.
2. See Montoya, “Mission to a Revolution,” 20.
3. http://www.state.gov/m/ds/rls/c31108.htm (photo 232) and interview with local sources in Benghazi.
4. Confidential source contact with authors, February 6, 2013.
5. Interview, February 17, 2013.
6. Garance Franke-Ruta, “The Welsh Security Contractor Behind America’s Benghazi Consulate Guards,” Atlantic, October 18, 2012.
7. Damien McElroy, Richard Spencer, and Raf Sanchez, “British Firm Secured Benghazi Consulate Contract with Little Experience,” Telegraph, October 14, 2012.
6: THE SPECIAL AGENTS
1. Tabassum Zakaria, “Former Envoy Pickering on Problems at Benghazi Mission,” Reuters, February 24, 2013.
2. Interview, March 6, 2013.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/DEI-to-BHO-10-19-2012-attachments.pdf.
6. Accountability Review Board into the Benghazi Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2012.
7. Interview, February 8, 2013, Virginia.
8. Ibid.
7: LIFE IN CRITICAL THREAT
1. U.S. Accountability Office, Diplomatic Security’s Recent Growth Warrants Strategic Review, GAO-10-156, November 2009, 53.
2. Hind Turki, “Accidental Death of Libyan at US Embassy in Tripoli,” The Tripoli Post, September 8, 2012.
3. For the discussion of physical security arrangements, protocols, and shortcomings, see United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs, Flashing Red: A Special Report On The Terrorist Attack At Benghazi by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (chairman) and Senator Susan M. Collins (ranking member), December 30, 2012, pg 14–18.
4. Interview, February 1, 2013.
5. Alyssa Raymond, “Diplomatic Security Training Center,” Winchester 3 News, February 27, 2013.
6. Interview, February 22, 2013.
7. Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins, Flashing Red: A Special Report on the Terrorist Attack at Benghazi, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, December 30, 2012.
8: FROM WHEELS DOWN TO LIGHTS-OUT
1. Interview, February 17, 2013. The identity of the intelligence official is concealed for the protection of himself and his family.
9: THE COOL OF NIGHT
1. Interview, February 17, 2013, Washington State.
2. Steven Sotloff, “The Other 9/11: Libyan Guards Recount What Happened in Benghazi,” Time, October 21, 2012.
3. Interview, January 30, 2013.
10: ATTACK! ATTACK!
1. Jamie Doward, “How Cigarette Smuggling Fuels Africa’s Islamic Violence,” Observer, January 26, 2013.
11: THE ANNEX
1. Interview, March 1, 2013.