Nine Lives: My time as the West's top spy inside al-Qaeda

by Aimen Dean

  61. Abu Dawood: 2165; Ahmed 16748.

  62. At the time Rabia reported to al-Qaeda’s ‘number three’, Abu Faraj al-Libi. The latter, who had been in touch with bin Laden in the years after 9/11, was captured in Pakistan in May 2005. When al-Libi was interrogated by the CIA, he claimed not to know a courier whose existence had been confirmed by four other detainees, including Hassan Ghul. His strenuous denial led the CIA for the first time to believe this mystery courier was possibly a key messenger for Osama bin Laden. Tracking down the courier eventually led the CIA to bin Laden’s Abbottabad hideout. See Bowden, op. cit., pp. 119–22; Craig Whitlock and Kamran Khan, ‘Blast in Pakistan Kills Al-Qaeda Commander’, Washington Post, 4 December 2005; ‘Detainee Biographies’, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, September 2006. https://fas.org/irp/news/2006/09/detaineebios.pdf.

  63. Suskind, op. cit., pp. 318–21.

  64. ‘Bahrain releases six “militants”’, BBC News, 23 June 2004.

  65. Ron Suskind, op. cit., pp. 323–4.

  66. Craig Whitlock and Kamran Khan, ‘Blast in Pakistan Kills Al-Qaeda Commander’, Washington Post, 4 December 2005.

  67. Suskind, op. cit., p. 318.

  68. See ‘Bahrain Plot Alleged’, Gulf Daily News, 15 July 2004; Shereen Busheri and Mazen Mahdi, ‘Six Bahrainis Rearrested’, Bahrain Tribune, 15 July 2004; Kanwal Tariq Hameed, ‘Terrorism Charges Rejected’, Gulf Daily News, 27 June 2006; ‘Bahrain: The Next Target For Islamist Militancy?’, Jamestown Foundation, Terrorism Focus, 6 August 2014.

  69. US embassy traffic on the case, released years later by WikiLeaks, can be seen here: https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/04MANAMA1708_a.html, https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/04MANAMA1665_a.htm.

  70. ‘Bahraini Militant Back in Custody after Court Escape’, AFP, 14 September 2004; Mohammad Almezel, ‘Man accused of terror plot released in related case’, Gulf News, 13 January 2005; Hameed, op. cit. https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/04MANAMA1671_a.html.

  71. https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/04MANAMA1671_a.html.

  My Eighth Life: Nicotine

  1. For more on this meeting, see Steve Swann, ‘A Truly Dangerous Meeting of Minds’, BBC News, 3 April 2015; for more on Awlaki’s lecture series that winter in the UK, see Scott Shane, Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone (Crown, 2015), pp. 146–50.

  2. Steve Swann, ‘A Truly Dangerous Meeting of Minds’, BBC News, 3 April 2015.

  3. Rory McCarthy, ‘Sad, bloody end to Bigley saga’, Guardian, 9 October 2004.

  4. Edward Wong, ‘British Hostage is Beheaded in Baghdad’, New York Times, 8 October 2004. Damien McElroy, Sean Rayment and Aqeel Hussein, ‘Bigley made last desperate dash for freedom before being taken to his doom’, Daily Telegraph, 10 October 2004.

  5. This is what I learned. Part of the story was reported by Times journalists Hala Jaber and Ali Rifat, ‘Bigley beheaded after MI6 rescue backfired’, The Times, 10 October 2004. According to their account, Zarqawi’s group had claimed two of Bigley’s captors had accepted a large sum of money to help him flee. See also McCarthy (2004), op. cit., and Jason Burke, Gaby Hinsliff, and James Robinson, ‘Hostage in last-ditch escape bid’, Observer, 10 October 2004.

  6. Osama bin Laden would later publish a paper called ‘The Practical Steps to Liberate Palestine’ in which he argued that backing jihadis in Iraq provided a rare opportunity to make a move against Jordan which in turn would be the ideal springboard to liberate Palestine. A key goal of both bin Laden and Zarqawi was to liberate Jerusalem because, according to the prophecies, it would be the seat of the Caliphate near the end-of-days. See Osama bin Laden, ‘Practical Steps to Liberate Palestine’, As Sahab Media, March 2009.

  7. ‘Al-Zarqawi group claims allegiance to bin Laden’, CNN, 17 October 2004.

  8. Paul Wood, ‘Iraq’s hardest fight: The US battle for Falluja 2004’, BBC News, 10 November 2014. See also Ralph Nader, ‘The Destruction of Mosques in Fallujah: An Open Letter to George Bush’, 9 December

  2004.

  9. Koran 5:32.

  10. Anne Stenersen, Al-Qaeda’s Quest for Weapons of Mass Destruction: The History Behind the Hype (VDM, 2008), pp. 48–50; ‘Killer jailed over poison plot’, BBC News, 13 April 2005; ‘Ricin: Killer with no antidote’, Manchester Evening News, 20 June 2005; ‘The Deadly Recipes’, BBC News, 13 April 2005.

  11. Nic Robertson, Paul Cruickshank and Tim Lister, ‘Documents give new details on al-Qaeda’s London bombings’, CNN, 30 April 2012; Duncan Gardham, ‘7/7 inquest: Mohammad Sidique Khan on MI5’s radar before 9/11’, Daily Telegraph, 6 May 2011; ‘FACTBOX-What MI5 knew about the London bombers’, Reuters, 30 April 2007.

  12. ‘One year on, a London bomber issues a threat from the dead’, Guardian, 7 July 2006.

  13. Hekmat Karzai, ‘Afghanistan and the Logic of Suicide Terrorism’, RSIS Commentary, 27 March 2006.

  14. Anne Stenersen, ‘Al-Qaeda’s Foot Soldiers: A Study of the Biographies of Foreign Fighters Killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan Between 2002 and 2006’, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 34 (2011), pp. 184.

  15. Martin Bright and Gaby Hinsliff, ‘Chaos as First Terror Orders are Used’, Observer, 12 March 2005.

  16. Shiv Malik, ‘Briton claiming to be former Taliban bomb expert “joins Isis”’, Guardian, 20 November 2014.

  17. Zawahiri’s letter to al-Zarqawi was obtained by the United

  States during counter-terrorism operations in Iraq and can be viewed here: https://ctc.usma.edu/harmony-program/zawahiris-letter-to-zarqawi-

  original-language-2/.

  18. John F. Burns and Kirk Semple, ‘US Finds Iraq Insurgency Has Funds to Sustain Itself’, New York Times, 26 November 2006.

  19. Nazili Fatahi, ‘Iran Executes Sunni Rebel Leader’, New York Times, 20 June 2010.

  20. Benjamin Runkle, Wanted Dead or Alive: Manhunts from Geronimo to Bin Laden (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), p. 200.

  21. Among many accounts of Zarqawi’s demise, see Dwight Jon Zimmerman, ‘JSOC and the Hunt for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi: The End Game’, Defence Media Network, 26 May 2013. http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/jsoc-and-the-hunt-for-abu-musab-al-zarqawi-the-end-game/.

  22. William Maclean, ‘Al-Qaeda ideologue in Syrian detention – lawyers’, Reuters, 10 June 2009.

  23. Ron Suskind, The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America’s Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11 (Simon & Schuster, 2006).

  24. Ibid., pp. 216–20.

  My Ninth Life: A Graveyard in Syria

  1. Michael Moss and Souad Mekhennet, ‘Rising Leader for the Next Phase of Al-Qaeda’s War’, New York Times, 4 April 2008.

  2. On Gadahn’s ‘career’ in al-Qaeda, see Joseph Serna and Shelby Grad, ‘Adam Gadahn: Al-Qaeda terrorist, California native and grandson of a Jew’, Los Angeles Times, 23 April 2015.

  3. Almezel, op. cit.; Hameed, op. cit.

  4. For more on the founding of the Islamic State of Iraq see Kenneth Katzman, ‘Al Qaeda in Iraq: Assessment and Outside Links’, Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, 15 August 2008.

  5. Bill Roggio, ‘US and Iraqi forces kill Al Masri and Baghdadi, al Qaeda in Iraq’s top two leaders’, Long War Journal, 19 April 2010.

  6. ‘Leader of Sunni militant organization in Iran killed: Intelligence Minister’, Reuters, 25 August 2016; ‘Head of Ansar al-Furqan terrorist group killed in Iran’, Press TV, 22 April 2015.

  7. Hania Mourtada and Rick Gladstone, ‘Iraq’s Branch of Al-Qaeda Merges with Syria Jihadis’, New York Times, 9 April 2013; Anthony Cordesman, ‘Violence in Iraq: The Growing Risk of Serious Civil Conflict’, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 9 September 2013.

  8. Mushreq Abbas, ‘Al-Qaeda Militants Raid Iraq’s Abu Ghraib, Taji Prisons’, Al-Monitor, 25 July 2013.

  9. According to a 2011–2 survey of Muslims in various parts of the world: ‘In most countries surveyed in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, half or more Muslims believe they will live to see
the return of the Mahdi’. See ‘The World’s Muslims: Unity and Diversity’, Pew Research Center, 9 August 2012, p. 65.

  10. Ahmed: 3079.

  11. ‘A band of warriors of my followers shall fight for the truth at the gates of Damascus and its surroundings and at the gates of Jerusalem and its surroundings, until the day of Judgment’ (Ibn Hajar: 4309). Another prophecy previses that Muslim fighters will gather in Ghouta near Damascus in the epic battles. McCants (2015), op. cit., p. 100.

  12. ‘The Antichrist will appear from a valley between Iraq and the Levant and will cause chaos and mayhem where he goes [. . .] then when he is assured of his power, Jesus Son of Mary will descend at the White Minaret on the east side of Damascus, his hands resting on the wings of two angels, every follower of the Antichrist will die of Jesus’ scent. Then Jesus will track the Antichrist at Lod [a town in modern day Israel] and kill him there’ (Muslim: 2937).

  13. Abu Dawood: 2165; Ahmed: 16748.

  14. By mid-2013 ISIS was firmly in charge of Raqqa. That remained the case until its liberation in October 2017. Sarah Birke, ‘How al-Qaeda Changed the Syrian War’, New York Review of Books, 27 December 2013.

  15. Hannah Beech, ‘Deadly Terrorist Attack in Southwestern China Blamed on Separatist Muslim Uighurs’, Time, 1 March 2014.

  16. Ben Blanchard, ‘Syria says up to 5,000 Chinese Uighurs fighting in militant groups’, Reuters, 8 May 2017.

  17. Joan Lowy, ‘US official says Khorasan Group threat to aviation’, Associated Press, 26 September 2014.

  18. For more on Said Arif, see Thomas Joscelyn, ‘Another al-Qaeda veteran reportedly killed while leading Jund al Aqsa in Syria’, Long War Journal,

  27 May 2015. See also: https://www.un.org/press/en/2014/sc11521.doc.htm.

  19. James Foley, ‘Syria: Inside the latest assault on Saraqeb’, Global Post, 28 March 2012; ‘Fresh violence after Syria accepts UN peace plan’, Associated Press, 29 March 2012; Dominic Evans, ‘Syria army quits base on strategic Aleppo road’, Reuters, 2 November 2012.

  20. ‘Al-Qaeda chief disbands main jihadist faction in Syria: Al-Jazeera’, Agence France Presse, 8 November 2013.

  Reflections

  1. For more on Binali, see Carl Bunzel, ‘The Caliphate’s Scholar In Arms’, Jihadica, 9 July 2014; ‘Coalition forces killed Turki-al-Bin’ ali’, CENTCOM Media Release, 20 June 2017.

  2. Rory McCarthy, ‘Inside Bin Laden’s chemical bunker’, Guardian, 17 November 2001. Judith Miller, ‘Pentagon Says Bombs Destroy Terror Camps’, New York Times, 10 October 2001. Josh Meyer, ‘Al-Qaeda is said to focus again on WMD’, Los Angeles Times, 3 February 2008. A senior US intelligence source confirmed Abu Khabab’s link to the development of the device to my co-authors. Cruickshank and Tim Lister US CT interviews, op. cit.

  3. Josh Meyer, ‘Al-Qaeda is said to focus again on WMD’, Los Angeles Times, 3 February 2008.

  4. ‘Al-Qaeda: Weapon Expert Among Dead Heroes’, CNN, 3 August 2008.

  5. Information from intelligence source, 2016–2017.

  6. Malik (2014), op. cit.; John Hall and Tom Wyke, ‘Inside a Brit’s ISIS Bombmaking Factory’, Daily Mail, 22 April 2015.

  7. Evan Perez, Jodi Enda and Barbara Starr, ‘New terrorist laptop bombs may evade airport security, intel sources say’, CNN, 1 April 2017; David Sanger and Eric Schmitt, ‘US Cyberweapons, Used Against Iran and North Korea, are a Disappointment against ISIS’, New York Times, 12 June 2017; Micah Maidenberg, ‘Laptop Ban On Planes is Lifted, US Officials Confirm’, New York Times, 20 July 2017.

  8. After Hassan Ghul’s capture in 2004 helped reveal bin Laden’s courier network, Ghul had been transferred from CIA custody to Pakistan in 2006, where he was released and rejoined the al-Qaeda fold rising to become its military operations chief. Greg Miller, Julie Tate and Barton Gellman, ‘Documents reveal NSA’s extensive involvement in targeted killing program’, Washington Post, 16 October 2013.

  9. Andrea Galli, ‘Arrestato il tunisino Fezzani, leader di Isis reclutatore in Italia’, Corriere della Sera, 14 November 2016; ‘IS commander wanted by Italy arrested in Sudan: lawmaker’, AFP, 14 November 2016; ‘Bardo museum attack suspect extradited to Tunisia’, AFP, 23 December 2016; ‘Tunisia beach attack: “Mastermind” named’, BBC News, 7 January 2017; ‘Top ISIS recruiter in Italy Fezzani arrested’, ANSA, 14 November 2016; ‘Tunisia: 30 anni a terrorista Fezzani’, Ansa, 24 February 2018. See also: https://www.therenditionproject.org.uk/prisoners/tunisi.html; https://wikileaks.org/gitmo/pdf/ts/us9ts-000168dp.pdf.

  10. ‘United States and Saudi Arabia Designate Terrorist Fundraising and Support Networks’, United States Treasury Department Press Release, 31 March 2016.

  11. Tom Holland, ‘We must not deny the religious roots of Islamic State’, New Statesman, 17 March 2015.

  12. Graeme Wood, ‘What ISIS Wants’, The Atlantic, March 2015.

  13. Bernard Lewis, ‘The Roots of Muslim Rage’, Atlantic Monthly, September 1990.

  14. For an excellent account see Yaroslav Trofimov, The Siege of Mecca: The Unforgotten Uprising (Allen Lane, 2007).

  15. Al-Oteibi’s brother in law was Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani, which was consistent with the prophecies. According to one hadith: ‘There will come a time when God will send a man from my descent. His name just like mine, and his father’s name is just like my father’s name . . .’ (Abu Dawood: 2230). The Prophet Mohammed’s father’s name was Abdullah. Trofimov, op. cit., pp. 37–8 and 46–52.

  16. One hadith foretelling the return of the Mahdi states: ‘There will come a time when a civil war erupts when a king dies and a man will leave Medina towards Mecca. People will follow him and in Mecca he will be forced to accept the people’s allegiance to him between the Kaaba and the Station of Ibrahim . . .’ (Abu Dawood: 4285).

  17. Lewis, op. cit.

  18. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has cited hadith on the Victorious Vanguard. ‘There will not cease to exist a group from my nation fighting upon the truth, manifest until the Day of Judgment. Then, Jesus son of Mary will descend’, he said in a May 2015 audio speech, referring to Ahmed: 21286.

  19. ‘The Road to Boston’, Report by the Majority Staff of the Homeland Security Committee, March 2014, p. 15.

  20. McCants (2015), op. cit., pp. 32, 39–41.

  21. ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani stated this explicitly in a speech circulated online in 2011. ‘We will remain God willing until the Day of Resurrection, and the last people of us will fight the Antichrist. Please hurry up, as we still hope you to repent to God. [. ?. ?.] Do hasten before regret is due, as the battlefield outcome is determined, and there are but a few days left.’ Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, ‘The State of Islam will Remain Safe’, al-Furqan Media, 7 August 2011. Not long after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi echoed these remarks. ‘Come . ?. ?. for the Great Battles are about to transpire.’ McCants (2015), op. cit., p. 100.

  22. Hamza bin Laden, ‘The Cause of al-Sha?m is the Cause of Islam’, As Sahab Media, 14 September 2017.

  23. His words are quoted on the masthead of the first issue of ISIS’s online magazine, Dabiq, issued in July 2014.

  24. According to a hadith, when asked by disciples which city would fall

  first – Rome or Constantinople – the Prophet answered Constantinople (Ahmed: 6468).

  25. ‘The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land at al-Amaq or in Dabiq. An army consisting of the best of the people of the earth at that time will come from Medina. [. . .] They will then fight and [the surviving third of the army] would be the conquerors of Constantinople. And as they would be busy in distributing the spoils of war and hanging their swords by the olive trees, Satan would cry: the Antichrist has taken your place among your family [. . .] then Jesus son of Mary would descend’ (Muslim: 2897).

  26. In November 2014, another ISIS executioner, Mohammed Emwazi, appeared in Dabiq with the severed head of an American hostage, saying, ‘Here we are, burying the first American Crusader in Dabiq, eagerly waiting for the remainder of your armies to arrive.’
‘Dabiq: Why is the Syrian town so important for IS’, BBC News, 4 October 2016.

  In a message released after the group’s attack in Paris in 2015, Baghdadi mocked the West for not sending in ground troops. ‘They know what awaits them in Dabiq [in] terms of defeat, death, and destruction. They know that it is the final war and after it, God permitting, we will invade them and they will not invade us, and Islam will dominate the world anew until the Day of Judgment.’ Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ‘So Wait, We Too are Waiting with You’, 26 December 2015. See also Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ‘And Allah Knows But You Do Not Know’, 19 January 2014; McCants, op. cit., p. 104.

  27. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ‘March Forth Whether Light or Heavy’, 14 May 2015.

  28. ‘Therefore, the caliphate is a prophetic promise foretold [by the Prophet]. The just caliphs are twelve in number . . . five of them appeared in the early period . . . The last of the [righteous Caliphs] will pave the way for the Mahdi,’ Binali wrote, shortly before Baghdadi declared a Caliphate; A translation of Binali’s April 2014 treatise can be found in McCants (2015), op. cit., pp. 179–81. A link to the Arabic version can be found in Cole Bunzel, ‘The Caliphate’s Scholar-in-Arms’, Jihadica, 9 July 2014.

  29. Adnani, ‘This is the Promise of Allah’, 29 June 2014.

  30. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ‘This is what Allah and His Messenger had Promised Us’, 2 November 2016.

  31. Ibid.

  32. William McCants, ‘Apocalypse Delayed’, Brookings Institution, 17 October 2016.

  33. Baghdadi, 2 November 2016, op. cit. He was quoting from Koran 17:76.