Death Drones

by Christopher Fox

  “As-salamu alaykum ,” said bin Laden, the traditional greeting meaning ‘may peace be with you’. The group in unison replied, waalaikum as-salaam ; may peace be with you as well.

  Osama gestured for Basim and the others to sit down, and he, himself, folded his legs under him and deposited his frame on a cushion, picking up the mouthpiece of a hookah as he did so. For several minutes, everyone imitated Osama by puffing on their smoke pieces. Soon, the room became thick with smoke; not as pungent as regular cigarette or cigar smoke and did not sting the eyes.

  Osama spoke to the person on his left, then the one on his right and gestured to Basim, which made him somewhat nervous, giving him the sense of being a stranger in the room. Was he being ridiculed? Why was he brought here? Finally, Osama looked over at Basim and addressed him.

  “Welcome Basim to our meeting. I would like to introduce you to members of my Shura council. The council has six committees; Sharia/Political Committee, responsible for issuing fatwas; Military Committee, responsible for conceiving and planning operations as well as managing trading camps; Finance Committee, responsible for fund raising and concealment of assets; Foreign Purchase Committee, responsible for acquisition of foreign arms and supplies; Security Committee, responsible for physical protection, intelligence and counter-intelligence and Information Committee in charge of propaganda.

  “On my left is my trusted physician and adviser, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who heads up the Military Committee. To my right is Abu Mugabe al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq and head of the Finance Committee. To his right is Rashad Mohammad Ismail, leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and head of the Foreign Purchase Committee. Next to him is the head of the Security Committee, Musim al-Fatah and to his right, Maroun bin Salabah, head of our Information Committee. There is one committee head open, which is the Sharia/Political one.” Each man nodded as bin Laden introduced them. “Due to your education in political science, we thought this would be an ideal fit for you Basim.”

  Basim could not believe what he was hearing. The Osama bin Laden wanted him to be a member of his advisory council? He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing emerged. The council members around the carpet chucked at his attempts to speak.

  “My Emir,” he finally could say. “I don't know what to say. It is such a great honour.”

  “You have shown excellent fortitude,” bin Laden said. “It is brothers like you that will help us stamp out the American Imperialists.”

  “What am I to do?” asked Basim.

  “In good time. All in good time.” Osama said, rising and reaching a hand out to him. Basim almost stumbled as he got up to shake the offered hand. When he did, Osama pulled him close, and they embraced. The other men got up and stood in line to greet their new council member. Basim was light-headed at being so honoured; it was like a dream come true; do the work of Allah and rid the earth of western scum.

  “I want you to return to America,” Osama said. “Our network there needs to be built so we can attack from within. Many plans for attacks are in the works, some that will rival the attacks on the twin towers, a brilliant execution of a plan by one of our brothers, Khalid Sheik Mohammad. One of your jobs is to build up sleeper cells, ready to be called into action at any time.”

  “Yes Emir,” he said. As much as he wanted to fight the US in Afghanistan, he knew he could inflict far more damage from within the country with a good team of loyal Jihadists .

  “There are many brothers loyal to our cause all over the world. Many have come to Afghanistan to stand among our brothers here and fight the imperialist intrusion. We have several factions in America who maintain a low profile and have been under the radar for years, waiting for the right opportunity to serve Allah.”

  “When should I go there?”

  “As soon as possible. A new identity has been acquired for you that will allow you to move around freely and meet with other brothers. It is a teaching assistant’s position at a University. Ayman has the package for you, and you will need to learn thoroughly all the background history for this new identity. There are credit cards and bank accounts for you also as well as an apartment and a car for your use.”

  “Thank you Emir,” he said bowing to bin Laden.

  They conversed about many other things regarding al-Qaeda operations around the world. Basim was surprised at the global presence of al-Qaeda, with cells in Algeria, Bosnia, Chechnya, Eritrea, Kosovo, the Philippines, Somalia, Tajikistan and Yemen. Osama rounded up the meeting and a very pretty young lady entered the room with trays of hummus, pita bread, olives, cheese, and grapes and placed it on the floor in front of the council members. Each of the men helped themselves to the array of food as she returned with a tray of cups with hot tea.

  Basim shook each of his fellow council members’ hands and gave another embrace to bin Laden. He accepted the package from al-Zawahiri but did not bother to look inside it—that would wait until he got home. His escorts led him back to the car and, surprisingly, blindfolded him again for the journey back. Maybe the trust level was not there yet, or maybe it was the paranoia associated with an organization being targeted by US drones—one hint of this location and Osama would be history.

  * * * *

  Basim, anxious to inspect the identity package given him, emptied it on the bed when he got home. He sifted through several documents; passport, driver’s license, credit cards, as well as a gym membership card. Looking through the pages of his identity and started to read. Tom Delaney was his new name, and there was a photo of him in the passport. Where they got it from he was unsure, but it represented a very good likeness of him. His age was the same as Basim's with a similar build and height. It pleased him that he would not have to shave off his moustache as he had grown attached to it. He was an only child born in San Francisco to parents who had recently died in a car crash, so no close relatives to concern him. His apartment was in Philadelphia, and he ‘owned’ a 2002 Toyota Corolla. Keys to the apartment and the car were amongst the documents. He was a teaching assistant at Philadelphia University in their Political Science faculty, reporting to the department head. He was to start at the beginning of the new school year, September 8th, 2008—just two months away.

  Basim sought out fellow Islamists during his tenure at Philadelphia University. While there, he enrolled in a doctoral program and completed that in 2013, writing his thesis on ‘Fundamental Challenges in World Politics’. He then successfully applied for a professor’s position at NYU. This position gave him lots of flexibility for both time off and travelling, which became essential for his recruiting activities. Extremely careful about hiding his travel plans, he instructed any potential recruit to never use credit cards when travelling or checking into motels/hotels. He drove to most of his meetings, paying cash for accommodation and gas. Where the meetings were far away, he would fly to a resort location close to the meeting place and rent a hotel room, even though he didn’t stay there. He would then rent a car and travel to the meeting location. It was this careful process that kept him under the radar as far as Homeland Security was concerned.

  Basim became very excited when he received his latest assignment. They had discussed it previously but had to work out the logistics. Saddam’s chemical weapons would now be used against US targets in a plan that would kill 50,000 plus citizens, including a high-ranking White House official. Now, with everything in place, he had a week before putting it into operation.

  Twenty Three

  Omar and Kadar were pleased with the results of the first test. The drone lifted the assembly with the tank full of water, and the remote-controlled nozzle worked fine. The test set-up was about a pound lighter than the projected load, so they ran another test by adding a pound of weight. Although visibly more sluggish, it did lift the payload. Kadar set his stopwatch and timed the duration it stayed suspended. After 22 minutes, the power waned and the ‘copter started to descend.

  “We have little more than 20 minutes of reliable time aloft,�
� said Kadar.

  “Should be enough,” Omar said. “It’s not like they need to make the return journey.”

  Most recreational drones use line-of-sight technology for control. This is also a requirement by some authorities as operating a drone beyond that which you can see is dangerous. However, Kadar had installed cellular controllers operating on a 4G LTE network. This would allow the operators to maintain contact with the drone from anywhere that cell phone reception is available, and downtown Houston had excellent coverage. The issue with no camera on the drones carrying Sarin meant that all the drones had to fly together so that Kadar’s drone would be their ‘eyes’. Kadar would operate the drone behind the formation and, seeing as they were all going to the same place, they just had to keep together and remember their place in the formation.

  Ten other drone operators each were schooled in the proper handling of the specific drones they handled. At one time, all ten had drones suspended in the warehouse, setting up different scenarios. They operated them using a monitor screen as no cameras were fitted. Kadar had set up a framework that comprised a platform about 8' square with four stud walls 4' high open at the top. Each operator manoeuvred their drone, using the video feed, to the platform and landed it there without touching the walls. Only one operator caught a rotor on the wall and crashed the drone. But they had two spares.

  Maroun had tested each one with a full tank of water to make sure that they sealed properly when shut and released fully when they energized the solenoid valve. Each one was tested with the specific controller for that drone. Kadar had numbered the drones, placed corresponding numbers on the controllers and placed the respective number on each valve assembly. Maroun suited up with the hazmat gear while Kadar moved the cylinders and the drones to the sealed room.

  Once he moved the cylinders and drones into the chamber, Maroun entered and closed the door. He realized that dispensing the liquid Sarin would be a delicate situation and wished he had ordered two hazmat suits because he needed someone else’s help to manipulate the heavy cylinders.

  Based on the speed of the drones and the flight time, it would be necessary to move closer to the stadium before launch. They needed to be within five miles for the drones to reach their target—the closer the better—and the warehouse was over 15 mi. away. This produced a few issues; where would they be able to launch ten drones surreptitiously? Whereas they had to launch the drones in formation, the operators could be anywhere and view the camera feed through an app on their iPad.

  Another issue Kadar had to deal with was the area around the stadium had an installation like that installed at airports. This system sought out unlawful drones operating within a mile radius of the stadium and would divert them away from the area. Most drones use RF frequencies, but they used cell technology, and since they did not know if the system could successfully divert cell-operated drones, Kadar had to shut it down. He determined that the antenna for this system was mounted on top of one of the nearby condo buildings, which was the highest point close to the stadium. Maroun had briefed an operative to disable the antenna by severing the wiring serving it. Getting into the condo might have been difficult, but they found a unit available for rent. Allah must be with us , he said to himself.

  Maroun logged onto the email account he used for contacting Basim. A message would be written, but not sent. It would be encrypted, and only he and Basim had the ‘key’. When they logged on, they would read the draught email and, if necessary, place another draught message, deleting the earlier one, leaving no trace of an email being sent. There was an unsent message and when he decrypted it, it showed that Basim was coming to the warehouse tomorrow to ‘see how things were going’. Maroun knew Basim would be pleased at their progress and that they would be ready to launch the attack in four days.

  * * * *

  Basim wanted to be there for the finale and typed a message in the email saying he was coming to Houston. Omar received the message later in the day when he logged on and checked the unsent message.

  “Basim’s coming here,” he said to Kadar.

  “Why?”

  “He wants to be here for the finale, or so he says.”

  “I thought we were doing fine without him.”

  “We are, but he is the Emir.”

  Basim, or Tom, had made arrangements a while ago for his trip to Houston and it was difficult to get a hotel room during a Super Bowl game—but he was able to get a penthouse suite for $4,500 for three night’s stay. Normally a little out of the budget for a University professor, but shouldn’t raise any suspicion. He made flight arrangements that would have him arrive in Houston on Friday, February 3rd, and leave Monday—he did not really want to be around once the attack took place, but they may ground all flights and he wanted to make sure he had a place to stay on Sunday after the game. With the airport closed, there would be no rooms available. If it wasn’t closed, he had an open plane ticket and would ‘get out of town’ as soon as he was able.

  * * * *

  A day before the event, Basim arrived in Houston under his alias of Tom Delaney. He picked up his car the rental car desk, then drove to the Houstonian Hotel and checked into the penthouse suite. He then called Omar:

  “I am in Houston now,” he said.

  “We are ready, and everything is working as planned,” Omar responded.

  “Excellent,” said Basim. “I will be there soon.”

  “We look forward to seeing you, Emir. ”

  Basim drove to the warehouse and parked by the man-door. The door opened as he got out, and Omar emerged. He approached Basim with arms extended, and Basim countered by opening his arms in greeting. After a brief hug they entered the building.

  “We are very excited,” Omar said as they walked over to the group of people standing by a table with various computer paraphernalia on it. “Would you like a demonstration?”

  “Of course,” Basim said. “Please go ahead.”

  Kadar inched forward and said with a bow of his head: “Welcome my Emir. It is so good to see you. The drones were tested with dummy weights, and we confirmed they will carry the load. We have not performed any flight test yet with the Sarin loaded, but we filled the tanks with water for demonstration purposes. They are controlled using cellular technology, so we can operate them anywhere cell coverage exists.”

  He explained about the separate camera drone and Basim was OK with that.

  “I was hoping,” said Omar, “That we wouldn’t have to decant the gas and be able to attach the tanks to the drones, but they were too heavy.”

  “Good work Omar,” said Basim. “I see you have all done well. So, let’s see these in the air.”

  Kadar turned to the operatives and gave them a signal to run the drones. There was a whirring noise like a swarm of bees as each of the drones powered up and one by one, lifted off the ground. They remained suspended about ten feet off the floor, then moved en masse to the left and then to the right. Kadar performed like an orchestra conductor as he directed the operators to move the swarm of drones. Basim nodded his head in approval as he watched the spectacle. Kadar signalled the operators to return the drones to the ground.

  “The solenoid on the control valve is set up to open on loss of signal. The main shut-off valves are closed and will be turned on before launch. If the drone loses cell contact for any reason, the valve will open and disperse the gas.”

  “Excellent,” said Basim.

  “We have rented a unit in the condo building,” said Omar, “where the Drone Protection System is installed, and the roof of the building will be an ideal place to launch the drones. ”

  “You have done well my brothers,” Basim said to the group who collectively showed feelings of pride. “Allah will be pleased. I must go now. I will meet all of you at the launch site tomorrow.”

  Omar handed him the address and apartment number of the condo as he led him outside to his car. “Allahu akbar ,” Omar said.

  “Allahu akbar, ” repeated Basim,
and got in his car.

  Omar and Kadar organized transporting the drones to the condo. Fortunately, they could get them into the unit surreptitiously, without raising any awkward questions, through an underground parking garage. They arranged with the operation team to meet the next day at 2:00 p.m. when they would set up on the roof. Omar was able to obtain a key for the roof door. He looked around for something to barricade it once they were there—but there was nothing. He and Kadar ended up carrying pieces of furniture onto the roof.

  They were now ready.

  Twenty Four

  Danny Harris had long been disillusioned with life, especially after his sister was shot dead with her boyfriend, a known drug dealer in the Houston area, in a police shoot-out. Danny’s brother was always the successful one and received more attention from his parents than he did. He had held his janitorial position at the Houston NRG Stadium for four years now and hated the job. He hated his supervisor, who always seemed to be on his case and gave him all the shitty jobs, like cleaning the washrooms, emptying the garbage and swabbing the floors of the numerous concession stands. It is not surprising, therefore, when Omar contacted him to be part of a terrorist attack, with $10,000 for his efforts, he jumped at it.

  “No one will get hurt,” Omar said. “We just want to make a statement. Blow a hole in the stadium roof during the Super Bowl. There's no need to worry, they’re insured.”

  “Are you sure no one will get hurt?” Danny said, somewhat concerned.

  “Nah. We plan to do it at half-time when the field should be relatively clear. There may be a little flying debris, but other than a few bimbo cheer leaders, no one should get hurt.”

  Omar explained how to lay the blocks of Semtex in the supporting framework of the roof.