The Assassins

by Oliver North

  “Well, we need to make sure when all this is over, we have eleven of their boats and aircraft,” Komulakov said. “Our client made it very evident that he wants eleven royal Saudi aircraft as well as eleven yachts.”

  “What's so special about eleven?”

  “He hasn't told me, but you must see to it. That's one of the reasons they are paying so much for this operation,” Komulakov said, smiling broadly across the miles. “Do you have confidence in the backup teams that are in place for those who escaped the first assassination attempt?”

  “Yes, General. As you will see in my next report, I have already implemented the backup South Africa. I may even hear something before nightfall here.”

  “Are you secure there?” Komulakov asked, concerned that he could lose his operations center in the Saudi capital.

  “Yes,” Dubzhuko answered. “I've pulled most of our people back here, inside the Filaya compound. This is the most secure building in Riyadh. We have plenty of food, water, arms and ammunition, and three good generators if the power goes out. We can hold off just about anything unless the ‘crazies’ get their hands on some of the National Guard tanks or some of the Royal Air Force F-16s or Mirages.”

  “In your last report you said the Royal Saudi Air Force had fled,” the general snapped. “Is that correct?”

  “That is correct,” Dubzhuko replied stiffly. “The King's personal 747, with the Crown Prince and his family aboard was shot down on takeoff as you ordered. All of the Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft that could fly are now in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and Jordan. The rest were destroyed on the ground. The King's yacht was burned at Jiddah before our team could get to it, but we now have possession of five of the ‘princelings’ yachts and six of their aircraft, including two Gulfstreams, a Hawker, a 737, a 767, and an Airbus 319. Rest assured, by the time we are finished our client will have his eleven yachts and eleven aircraft.”

  “Good, Nikolai,” said Komulakov, softening slightly. “Where are those boats and personal aircraft now?”

  “The aircraft that we took here in Saudi Arabia have been moved to our facilities in Damascus, Mogadishu, and Sana. The boats are all at sea. I'll put it all in my next report.”

  “You have done well, Nikolai Dubzhuko,” said Komulakov, now considerably warmer. “Do your people still have control of all four big radio and TV stations?”

  “We had to give up one. That was where Captain Kryuchkov and his whole team of Egyptians were killed—when several thousand rioters burned down the TV station around them. The other three radio and television stations are still in our hands.”

  “Good,” said Komulakov, ignoring the fact that one of his Russian team leaders had been killed. “Do you have the ‘ultimatum’ tape ready for broadcast at 1800 there in Riyadh?”

  “Yes,” said Dubzhuko, checking his Rolex watch. “There is a copy of the tape at each station and they will broadcast it as planned in twenty-eight minutes.”

  “Very well,” said Komulakov. “And I assume that the next event on the schedule is ready as well—because we know that the Americans will not comply.”

  “Yes, General, the next event is ready for midnight. Major Zarubin assures me that he is ready to make the hour before midnight into noon if that is what you want.”

  The Oval Office

  ________________________________________

  The White House, Washington, DC

  Monday, 15 October 2007

  1116 Hours Local

  Jeb Stuart hadn't “buzzed” the President's intercom once in three years. But seconds after the FLASH precedence message from the American Embassy in Riyadh popped up on his computer screen, he simultaneously hit the Print icon on his computer and the intercom button on his phone labeled “Oval Office.”

  “Yes, Jeb,” said the President, “I'm just wrapping up the meeting on wage and price controls. Can this wait?”

  “No, sir,” the National Security Advisor replied—surprising not just the secretaries of Treasury, Labor, and Commerce, but himself.

  “OK, then, come on in,” the President replied.

  It took less than a minute for Jeb Stuart to click the tool bar on his computer labeled DISSEMINATE TO CRISIS GROUP 1, grab the two copies of the message off his printer, and traverse the back corridor from his office in the northwest corner of the West Wing to the Oval Office. He nodded to the unsmiling Secret Service agent posted outside the door, knocked twice and entered, as the President was ushering his three cabinet officers out the door on the opposite side of the room.

  “I'm sorry to interrupt, sir,” Stuart said as the President returned to his desk. “But this is very important.” Handing the Commander in Chief one of the sheets of paper he had printed from his computer, he continued, “It's an ultimatum from the people who now appear to be running Saudi Arabia.”

  The President slipped on his reading glasses and read:

  SECRET

  FLASH

  151912ZOCT07

  FROM: AMEMB RIYADH

  TO: WHITE HOUSE; SEC STATE; SECDEF; DNI

  SUBJ: ULTIMATUM DELIVERED ON SAUDI RADIO/TV

  AT 1800 HOURS LOCAL, AN ANNOUNCER DESCRIBING HIMSELF AS “THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD” MADE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IN ARABIC AND ENGLISH ON SAUDI RADIO AND TELEVISION:

  1. IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MAGNIFICENT, THE ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD HEREBY DECLARES THAT THE COUNTRY PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA WILL FROM THIS DAY FORWARD BE KNOWN AS ‘THE LAND OF THE HOLY PROPHET.’

  2. BECAUSE THIS IS THE BIRTHPLACE OF MOHAMMAD, THE TERRITORY ON WHICH THE GREAT TEACHER WALKED, PRAYED, AND TAUGHT, IT SHALL NO LONGER BE SULLIED AND DESECRATED BY THE PRESENCE OF INFIDELS.

  3. ALL THOSE WHO DO NOT PROFESS THE ONE TRUE FAITH OF ISLAM, ALL SPIES AND THOSE WHO REPRESENT OTHER NATIONS, ALL THOSE WHO HAVE COME TO THE LAND OF THE HOLY PROPHET TO TAKE FROM ALLAH'S PEOPLE WHAT HE PUT HERE FOR THEM TO ENJOY, MUST DEPART IMMEDIATELY SO THAT THE LAND CAN BE PURIFIED.

  4. BECAUSE ALLAH IS MERCIFUL, ALL FOREIGNERS AND INFIDELS WILL BE ALLOTTED THE TIME OF TWO SUNRISES TO DEPART THE LAND OF THE HOLY PROPHET.

  5. THOSE INFIDELS THAT REMAIN HERE AFTER THE TIME ALLOTTED SHALL BE SLAUGHTERED LIKE UNCLEAN ANIMALS BY THE WARRIORS OF THE ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD.

  6. THOSE WHO PURPORT TO LEAD OTHER NATIONS MUST CLOSE THEIR EMBASSIES AND WITHDRAW THEIR PEOPLE IN THE TIME ALLOTTED.

  7. ALL THOSE WHO WISH TO REMOVE THEIR CIVILIAN INFIDELS FROM THE LAND OF THE HOLY PROPHET MUST DO SO IN THE TIME ALLOTTED.

  8. ONLY CIVILIAN COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT AND VESSELS WILL BE ALLOWED INTO THE LAND OF THE HOLY PROPHET FOR THIS PURPOSE OF EVACUATION.

  9. ALL ISLAMIC PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE BEING HELD BY THE SATANIC AMERICAN IMPERIALISTS AT THEIR NOTORIOUS CONCENTRATION CAMP IN CUBA MUST BE SET FREE WITHIN THE TIME ALLOTTED.

  10. THE GODLESS, IMPERIALIST REGIME IN WASHINGTON MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THIS MESSAGE FROM THE ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD WITHIN FIVE HOURS.

  11. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS MESSAGE IN THE TIME ALLOTTED BY THE ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD WILL RESULT IN A PURIFYING FIRE BEING UNLEASHED ON EVERY INFIDEL MAN,WOMAN, AND CHILD IN THE GREAT SATAN'S CAVE.

  BT

  SECRET

  It took the President less than a minute to read the terse warning through twice. When he had finished, he looked up at his National Security Advisor and said calmly, “Jeb, convene the Crisis Team by secure video-conference in five minutes. Have those who can't make it to a video-link dial in by secure voice. I'll meet you in the Sit Room in four minutes.”

  The National Security Advisor practically ran out of the Oval Office, hurried down the south passageway to the stairs and raced down the steps, taking them two at a time. When he arrived in the Situation Room he was winded but managed to tell the SWO, “Notify the Crisis Team that the President wants a secure video conference in four minutes! I'll activate the monitors and cameras in the conference room.”

  Even before responding, “Yes, sir,” the Senior Watch Officer had tapped the touc
h screen on his desk, selected a menu, touched a redbordered box labeled “Emergency,” and typed in “3 min. 30 sec.” on his computer keyboard. Meanwhile, Stuart entered the conference room and opened the wooden panels on the north, west, and south walls, exposing three built-in, flat-panel video screens and miniature cameras. Emblazoned on the solid blue-colored screens in white letters were the words SECURE VIDEO-CONFERENCE CONVENES IN: and below that, a digital countdown was progressing 3:12, 3:11, 3:10, 3:09 …

  As soon as he was sure that all the equipment was functioning properly, Stuart placed a wireless microphone, a standard television remote, and a note pad and pencil on the table in front of the President's seat, pulled open a small drawer built into the table at the President's position, lifted out a red telephone receiver, and put it to his ear. An instant later the voice of the WHCA secure voice operator said simply, “Yes, sir.”

  “This is Jeb Stuart; please connect me with the Crisis Team Operations Centers.” In seconds the National Security Advisor heard the operator calling roll and other voices responding: “State”—“here”…“NMCC”—“here”… “DNI”—“here,”…“Justice”—“here”…“DHS”—“here”…“Treasury”—“here”…“Energy”—“here.”

  In less than thirty seconds all the Ops centers were linked into the conference and the National Security Advisor said, “This is Jeb Stuart. Please ensure that when your principal joins the conference, he or she has a copy of American Embassy Riyadh flash precedence cable, date-time group fifteen-nineteen twelve zulu.”

  After a chorus of near-simultaneous “Roger that,” NSA Stuart hung up the phone, picked up the remote, and pointed it at the north wall monitor. The countdown clock disappeared and was replaced by FOX News anchor David Asman who was in midsentence, “…according to Al Jazeera, the ultimatum was issued over Saudi state radio and television by a group calling itself the Islamic Brotherhood…”

  At that moment the President entered the conference room. Stuart hit Mute, looked up, and said cheerlessly, “It looks like the networks already have it.”

  “Well,” said the President, taking his seat, “let's make sure we tape what they have to say in case they know more about it than we do.”

  Stuart sat next to the President in his customary seat. As he pulled his chair up to the table, Secretary of State Helen Luce appeared on the monitor to the President's left. Within seconds, Dan Powers, the Secretary of Defense; then DNI Perry Straw, DHS Secretary Sarah Dornin, Energy Secretary Sam Browning, and Attorney General Paul Skinner were all suddenly visible on the flat screen arrays.

  The President began without preamble. “Hopefully you've all seen the cable from our ambassador in Riyadh. Apparently the media is also reporting on this ultimatum. Perry, do we know anything more about this group?”

  The DNI shook his head and said, “No, Mr. President. The CIA has no record of it.” Then someone passed a note to him off screen and he added, “Nor has NSA ever picked up anything on a group going by this name prior to this.”

  “Sarah, have you had time to check with the FBI, Secret Service, Coast Guard, Customs? Any of your agencies have anything on these people?”

  The Secretary of Homeland Security responded immediately. “Nothing so far, Mr. President, but I'm still waiting to hear back from Customs and the Coast Guard. It takes a while to go through every database. As you know, we're still struggling to integrate them all.”

  “Dan, what do you think?” asked the President.

  “Nothing here in our database. It's totally new to us, too,” said the SecDef.

  “Anyone got anything on this Islamic Brotherhood?” asked the President.

  When no one answered he said, “OK, let's move on. It seems to me that the threats in paragraphs one thru eight are pretty clear—they are going to kill any Westerners left in Saudi Arabia sixty hours or so from now. Paragraph nine is a warning to release the terrorists at Guantanamo. Dan, how many do we have left there?”

  “Five hundred and thirty-seven,” answered the SecDef.

  “All right, that gets us to ten and eleven. Anybody got any idea what they mean?”

  When no one else spoke, the DNI said, “It seems to me that in paragraph ten they want a USG spokesman to simply acknowledge the Islamic Brotherhood's message. But it's eleven that has us worried. That seems to be a threat that this ‘purifying fire’ will be used against American civilians if any of the prior ten paragraphs are not done as they want.”

  “What's the purifying fire part mean?” asked the President.

  Again there was a pause until the Secretary of Defense said, “I believe it's their euphemism for a nuclear weapon.”

  “But Dan,” the Commander in Chief responded, “where does a never-before-heard-of terrorist group get a nuclear weapon?”

  “I don't know, Mr. President, but I am increasingly convinced that all of these Saudi events are somehow tied to the ayatollahs in Tehran.”

  “Do we have anything more than intuition to substantiate your suspicion?”

  “No, sir, just my gut,” answered the SecDef, staring directly at the camera mounted in front of him in the NMCC. “But as I said at our first meeting on this matter, the only ones in the region with the ability to pull something like this off—and the ones with the most to gain from all that's happened—are the people running the Iranian theocracy. Aside from the Pakistanis, the Iranians are the only other Islamic power with the potential for having nukes.”

  “Perry, what do our intelligence services say?” asked the President.

  “Well, sir, we haven't had a chance to do a full voice analysis of the broadcast yet. One of the NSA analysts who listened to the broadcast when it first aired says it sounds like Ayatollah Ali Yunesi, the head of the Iranian Intelligence Service, but we won't know for certain for several more hours—if at all. Those tapes are generally second generation, and not the best quality. As to who might be behind this, the DNI analysts agree with Defense on Iranian motivation and capabilities—except for the nuclear issue. We continue to believe that the Iranians are at least a year away from being able to build their own nuclear weapons.”

  “That may well be,” interjected the SecDef, “but that doesn't rule out the Iranians having obtained nukes from someone else.”

  “Who?” asked the President. “The Pakistanis?”

  “Not likely,” answered the DNI.

  “Let's move on for a moment,” interjected the President. “We're going to have to respond to this quickly. My inclination is to have the State Department issue a statement saying that we don't negotiate with terrorists and downplay what this means. Anyone else have a better suggestion?”

  Helen Luce, the Secretary of State, spoke for the first time. “We agree that State should issue a statement along those lines, but also believe that we need to announce that anyone who harms U.S. civilian nationals in Saudi Arabia will be held accountable and that we do not recognize anyone other than the royal family as the legitimate government of Saudi Arabia.”

  “What about the reports that the entire royal family has been assassinated?” asked Perry Straw.

  “Well,” Luce replied, “we know we have at least one surviving member of the Al Saud line—safe in our protection—unless that has changed since we last talked.”

  “That's correct,” interjected the President. “It's not for public consumption, but Secretary Dornin has him in a safe place. Right, Sarah?”

  “Yes, Mr. President, he is alive and well in a very safe place,” replied the DHS Secretary—without divulging that Prince Arshad had been moved from the Naval Academy to the Mount Weather Emergency Relocation Facility in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Nor did she reveal that she had dispatched Marine Brig. Gen. Peter Newman, the DHS Operations Director, to “ensure the prince's safety and comfort.”

  “Then all the more reason why we need to add the ‘recognition’ statement to whatever comment we make on this,” the SecState replied.

  “Very well,” said the Presi
dent. “Does anyone think we need to say anything about the detainees in Guantanamo?”

  “No, sir,” replied the SecDef. “The more we say, the more we'll have to defend if anything changes. But I do think we'd better take a quiet look at our options in Saudi, just in case this is not some kind of a bluff. Gen. George Grisham is en route to CENTCOM Forward. He'll arrive there about midnight our time. Between now and then I suggest we get a good estimate on how many AmCits we have out there and start looking at how quickly we can get enough chartered civil aircraft to evacuate them if it becomes necessary. Unfortunately, once we start contacting civilian airlines, it's sure to leak.”

  “You're right, Dan,” the President responded. “Start pulling the numbers together to see how many charter flights we would need, but hold off on contacting the airlines. Sarah, check with the FAA to see how many U.S. flagged aircraft got grounded outside the U.S. yesterday when we closed our airspace. Helen, draft up a statement along the lines we just discussed and circulate it around to principals only. I'd like to have this out by noon at the latest. There'll be no ‘backgrounders’ from anyone. Let the statement stand on its own. Now, let's go back to the hanging question—who's behind this and do they really have nukes?”

  Helen Luce answered first. “State agrees it's likely the Iranians, but we also doubt they have any nuclear weapons.”

  The DNI spoke up next: “The DNI concurs that the Iranians may be behind this, but we don't believe that the Iranians—or whoever issued this statement—has access to nuclear weapons.”

  When nobody else spoke up, the President said, “Dan?”

  The Defense Secretary's expression had not changed once during the twelve-minute teleconference, and it did not now. “Though we cannot prove it, we believe that the group calling itself the ‘Islamic Brotherhood’ is actually either the Iranian Intelligence Service, or the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps—maybe both. We also believe that they already possess nuclear weapons—and fully intend to use them to force us to comply with the demands in this statement.”