“Don’t worry, we will—and I can assure you that you will tell us what we want to know. It’s easier for you to tell us now before having to go through the uncomfortable processes we have in store for you.”
Mohammad leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes and then his face and placed his hands face down on the desk, looked up at the wall clock and said. “This has been a nice conversation, to what end I'm not sure, but I would like to return to my room now. It is almost time for prayer.”
“Sure,” said Miguel as he beckoned to Richard, who shackled him up again and took him back to his cell.
* * * *
“Well,” said Daniel, when Miguel returned to the room, “did you get anything out of that?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Miguel said. “It is interesting, as Bob said, to learn how they think.”
“Knowing how they think helps us get information from them,” said Bob. “When I was interrogating a high-level asset involved in the 9/11 fiasco, I learned a few interesting things. They believe Muslims who subscribe to their brand of Islam are superior people chosen by Allah for a special destiny: true dominion over the world. They believe Allah has commanded them to establish dominion by any means necessary, including violence. They believe because the west, especially America, is so strong that the only hope for achieving this destiny and getting their God-given entitlement to rule the world is through violent jihad. They believe the fact that we oppose their taking over the world and imposing their religious values on us proves we harbour harmful intentions that make them vulnerable; therefore, we are a threat that must be destroyed. Because they don’t think the way we do, they seek to use those differences, our tolerance, our values, and our freedoms, as weapons to aid in our destruction. ‘It is inevitable because it is Allah’s will’ he said to me. ‘The imposition of Islam on all humanity could not be stopped, only delayed.’ He spoke of a larger plan of Allah’s; the alignment of events in preparation for the return of the Mahdi, the Prophet Mohammad’s successor who will conquer the world for Islam and whose arrival portends the apocalyptic End of Days, when the damned are judged, and the blessed start to taste the pleasures of paradise.”
“How do they believe all this bullshit?” Daniel said.
“It’s enough to know they do. He wasn’t belligerent; wasn’t spewing Qur'anic verses nor ranting fanatical Islamic chants. He was just explaining his beliefs to me. I got the impression he viewed imposing his brand of Islam on all humanity was an act of devotion, not as a hostile act, but rather as an invitation to join him in the bliss that comes from actively surrendering to the one true God. You become his enemy only if you reject the invitation and by doing so, declaring yourself an enemy of Allah and thus subject to being conquered or killed by any means consistent with Qur'anic teaching, and the teaching of the Prophet Mohammad.”
“No wonder we have such a problem,” said Roberto. “How do you respond to that type of thinking?”
“You don’t,” continued Bob. “The one thing that struck me during all my interrogations of Islamic extremists was the certainty of their beliefs. They were not using religion as an excuse for what they did. Instead, they acted as they did because their strict and literal reading of the Qur'an and the hadiths caused them to believe they were steadfastly following the prescribed rules of war against infidels laid out by Allah in revelations to the Prophet Mohammad.”
“Seems this fight will go on for a long, long time,” Roberto said.
“Unfortunately, yes,” agreed Daniel. “All we can do is maintain vigilance and security of our homeland to diminish the effect it has on our lives.”
“I find it so hard to understand,” said Roberto, “that people can be so radical in their beliefs to allow it to consume their whole life.”
“I’m with you on that,” said Miguel. “You see, I am what you would refer to as a true non-believer. Not only do I not believe in his God, but I don’t believe in anyone else’s God either. I am not suggesting that a form of higher intelligence that could be responsible for everything around us doesn’t exist, but I’m not about to jump to the conclusion that a God with whom we can communicate or one that has an overall plan for us is the answer. As a person schooled in science, I relate to that which can be proven, and although various writings can verify historical events, none can actually prove that a God exists. Everything is founded on what someone said based on their experience. God did not create mankind; mankind created God.”
“As far as I’m concerned,” said Daniel, “he and his misguided cohorts will never achieve their goals. The al-Qaeda organization is already feeling the pinch without the financial resources of Osama bin Laden. Without money, they cannot sustain their war. Most of the pockets of terror are being ousted by many of their own kind. They don’t want Mohammad’s warped sense of Islam thrust upon them. Muslims all over the world are rebelling over harsh interpretations of Islam. Even the niqab and burka have nothing to do with Islam. They're the political flags of the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, the Taliban, al-Qaeda and Saudi Arabia.”
“Bear in mind,” said Bob, “that patriarchal desert tribes founded all the modern religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and male supremacy is in their theology. Whereas Judaism and Christianity have evolved somewhat over the years, Islam has not. What they propose as the way of life is that which people saw as appropriate for them over a thousand years ago. It does not take into consideration advancements in science nor cultural and evolutionary changes in life styles. Most people now do not want to be governed by archaic teachings based on the known Universe at the time. The Qur'an and the Bible are excellent guides for establishing proper values and appropriate behaviour, but should be viewed as that, a guide.”
“I agree,” said Miguel. “However, it is my belief that these should be assessed based on what was understood at the time of writing, and that they should be adjusted as science inevitably finds answers. As far as I am concerned, it comes down to faith vs. science. Science is the courage to admit you’re wrong because your commitment is to the truth. Faith is about never changing your mind.”
Roberto joined the conversation by saying, “In some respects, you can understand their plight. Persecution of Muslims has been going on for hundreds of years, and they are still being persecuted. Since the crusades, non-Muslims had made it a sport to kill Muslims. First the Mongols under Genghis Khan in Syria, then the Sikhs in Pakistan, then the Balkans when the Ottoman Empire was crumbling. More recently, the indiscriminate killing of Muslims occurred during the Bosnian war.”
“You make it sound like it was only Muslims who were persecuted,” said Daniel. “What about the persecution of Christians by the Islamic Ottoman Empire? It takes two to tango as the expression goes. I guess that’s a wrap for today,” he said, looking up at the clock. “I'm sure he knows something about the threat of a biological attack using Sarin, so we can start a little water-boarding tomorrow.”
“You’re probably right,” said Bob. “They believe that as long as they provide information through some form of torture, then Allah will forgive them.”
“Sounds good,” said Miguel as they each got up and retired to their respective rooms. Miguel used the opportunity to call Anna. Fortunately, he had his sat-phone as there was no cell reception where they were. He hadn’t spoken to her for two days and wanted to know how her trip to the doctor went. It was late in the afternoon and she would still be at work, so he called her there. The phone’s message system picked up, and he left a short message for her to call him. He then called her cell and got her message system again, which was unusual. Lastly, he tried calling the home and got no answer there either. He would try again later.
Seventeen
They asked Richard to prepare the water board, which they had constructed of ½" plywood and cut to 80" by 36" and mounted on a single fixed trestle, in the centre, with a piano hinge that would allow it to tilt in both directions. There were two other trestles used to suppor
t each end during prep. They had cut slots along each side, through which they threaded the restraint straps. They used truck tie-down straps for the restraints, as that was the best they could get at the Sinsa hardware store in Managua. Richard set it up in the garage as they preferred not to do it in the cell. Bob, Daniel, Miguel, and Roberto entered the garage, and Daniel asked Richard to get Mohammad.
Mohammad looked at the plywood mounted on the trestles and stopped short.
“I told you everything I know. What is this for?”
“Forgive our scepticism,” said Daniel, “but we believe you know something about the planned attack using Sarin.”
“But I don’t,” he pleaded.
Richard eased him onto the water board, overcoming Mohammad’s objections and his struggling. Daniel and Miguel assisted Richard in getting him onto the board and tightening up the restraints. Richard kicked out the two end-supporting trestles while Miguel and Roberto inclined the board so that Mohammad’s head was lower than the rest of his body. Bob placed a towel over Mohammad’s face while Daniel poured water over the towel from a large juice container. Mohammad spluttered as he tried not to breathe, but the water seeps into the nasal cavity, triggering the body’s automatic functions. He tried to expel the water, but gravity and the towel held it in place. He could expel a little water through the mouth, but much of it went down his windpipe, causing an involuntary coughing. Bob held the cloth and Richard counted out the seconds. When Bob raised the cloth, Daniel was to stop the pour immediately. The legal guidance was to pour for twenty to forty seconds, allow the person to breathe unimpeded for three or four breaths, then pour water for another twenty to forty seconds. But, in Bob’s experience, twenty seconds was too long, so he only did it for ten seconds. The procedure normally lasted for twenty minutes. However, after only a few minutes, Mohammad convulsed, so Miguel and Roberto heaved the board up so he was in a vertical position, whereby Mohammad sprouted water out of his nose and mouth, then vomited. Miguel and Roberto had to move quickly to one side to evade the torrents of undigested food emanating from his mouth.
Mohammad looked sad with vomit over his chest and around his mouth. He was breathing heavily, and there were bubbles of puke around his mouth. After a few minutes, Bob nodded to Miguel and Roberto to return the board to the 45º downward angle to resume the water-boarding. The main reason for continuing was to show that a dramatic display would not stop the procedures.
“No, no,” Mohammad said feebly. “No,” he said as they placed the towel over his head again and Daniel started the pour. This time, Bob reduced the time to six seconds, then a pause of ten seconds, but only did three more pours.
“That’s enough for this morning,” said Bob. “Leave the board in place and we will start again this afternoon. Don’t feed him; we don’t want him throwing up again.”
Richard hosed down the prisoner and returned him to the cell while the rest went back to the house.
“How long do you think he can hold out?” asked Roberto.
“Not long,” said Bob. “I don’t see him as the kind of person who can offset bodily discomfort in the way some people can. It takes training to ignore pain and discomfort and will your body to ignore it. He is not the type that can do that.”
“I guess time will tell,” said Roberto.
And time did tell. When they literally dragged Mohammad out of his cell and tried to set him up on the board, he blurted out about Sarin.
“I will tell,” he said. “I will tell you what I know about Sarin.”
Daniel held up his hand to Richard and stood there in front of Mohammad.
“This better not be another round of bullshit, or you go right back on the board.”
“No, I will tell. I will tell you what you want to know.”
“Give him something to eat,” Daniel said to Richard, “then bring him to the house. Clean him up first, he still smells of puke. ”
“I guess you were right,” Roberto said to Bob as they ambled back to the house with Daniel and Miguel. “I hope he is able to give us the information we need.”
“The interesting thing is that there is something to this Sarin threat,” said Daniel, “which is scary. That’s nasty shit and can cause a lot of damage.”
About an hour later, Richard, and a shackled and dishevelled Mohammad, entered the house. Richard led him to the office and sat him down in the chair in front of the desk after removing the restraints. Daniel seated himself behind the desk while Roberto and Miguel pulled up chairs either side of Mohammad. Richard stood by the door.
“So,” began Daniel, “you have something to tell us?”
Mohammad composed himself. He couldn’t help feel that he was betraying his brothers by telling the infidels what he knew. But he needed to tell them enough to stop the water-boarding and, he realized also, that what he told them would be of little use to them.
“It all goes back to Iraq,” Mohammad started. “Back in the late 80s, Saddam had used Sarin in attacks against the Kurds and against Iranian soldiers in the Iran-Iraq war. Saddam had a stockpile of Sarin when the UN Security Council enacted its Resolution. But, Saddam was effective in eluding UN inspectors and was able to keep the stockpiles away from them by maintaining them on mobile platforms, many disguised as transport trucks. They dismantled his manufacturing facilities, but everyone was aware he had stockpiles because they never fully accounted for the material he had imported required for production. The US was aware of this, and that is why they attacked Iraq the second time in 2003. That was when Saddam met with Osama bin Laden and forged a treaty with him. Al-Qaeda was to take the stockpiles of Sarin and essentially keep them for use against American targets. Saddam realized he could not defeat the US and wanted to make sure he had a legacy of retribution for attacks on his country.”
“So al-Qaeda has this Sarin,” said Daniel.
“Yes.”
“Holy shit,” said Miguel. “That’s not good.”
“Do you know where they are keeping it?” Daniel asked .
“No, I don’t. There are only a few of al-Zawahiri’s trusted lieutenants that know. Also, they are stored in several locations, and no one, not even al-Zawahiri, knows where they all are.”
“What about any planned attacks on US soil?” asked Bob.
“I’m not aware of any. I wouldn’t be in the loop on that one.”
“Who would be in the loop?” asked Bob.
Mohammad hesitated for a while.
“Who would be in the loop?” Daniel repeated, raising his voice.
“Probably one of the US operatives. I don’t know who they all are.”
“How about giving us the names of the ones you do know?” said Miguel.
Daniel poured a glass of water from a pitcher into a glass and handed it to Mohammad.
“Drink this while you think about it. We have lots of water …”
The inference was not lost on Mohammad as he thought back to the water-boarding.
“Give me a piece of paper and a pen.”
Daniel slid a pad and a pen over to Mohammad and he wrote down names. When he had finished, Daniel picked it up and looked at the names he had written. He was familiar with a few of them, but of the five names there were two he was not.
“I’ll get this over to HQ and have a check run on them,” said Daniel as he left the room.
“Do you know how they intend to disperse the Sarin?” Miguel said.
“No idea,” responded Mohammad. “Seeing as it is generally used as an airborne toxin, it would have to be dispersed into an air system or from a form of aircraft.”
“That leaves a whole shit-load of possibilities,” Roberto said.
“How do they plan to get it into the US?” Miguel asked.
“I’m not sure, but I am told to expect a shipment from Cuba in two weeks. I am to place it in our regular drug distribution channels, and it will come in at the east coast port of Bluefields, but I don’t know what is in the shipment.”
“
Where will you take it?”
“By truck to Managua, where we are to put it on another transport truck carrying coffee to the US, along with various drugs. They are all shipped in similar wooden containers, and we stencil different codes on the crates so we can recognize the illegal shipments at the other end.”
“So, who will pick up the crates that come in from Cuba?” asked Daniel.
“I don't know. One of the drug organisations there would have coordinated it.”
“How will they inform you of the date and time of the delivery?”
“All communication is by email.”
“Can you access your email from here?”
“If you give me a computer, yes.”
Daniel made a few keystrokes on his laptop and turned it to face Mohammad.
“Check it now,” he said.
“Watch him,” he said to Miguel.
Miguel watched as Mohammad logged on to the internet and typed ‘Gmail.com’. The window requesting the username and password popped up, and Miguel stepped in front of him.
“What is your username and password?”
Mohammad hesitated.
“What. Is. Your. Username. And. Password?” Miguel repeated through gritted teeth.
“I can’t log in from this computer—I need an Arabic keyboard.”
“Shit,” said Miguel.
“Go to ‘Special Keyboards’ and load the Arabic one,” said Roberto. “Problem will be to relate the keys to this keyboard.”
“We’ve got lots of time,” said Daniel. “I’m sure you are aware where the keys are.”
Roberto loaded the Arabic keyboard, hit the ‘Caps Lock’ key and selected Arabic. The cursor immediately shifted to the right-hand side. He slid the laptop back to Mohammad.
“Anyone read Arabic?” Daniel said.
“I can,” said Roberto. “Studied it in University.”
Roberto watched as Mohammad filled in the username and password and the messages loaded onto the screen. He had 24 new messages.
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