The Dreadful Renegade: A Thrilling Espionage Novel (Techno thriller, Mystery & Suspense)

by Charles Z David

  ***

  Meanwhile, the Mossad team that had been watching Ammer's car in the parking lot was getting more and more frustrated by the lack of action. Michelle called David and told him that no one even tried to approach the car and asked him how to proceed. Kobi heard the conversation and said that they could either start a door-to-door search of the hotels in the area or request assistance from the local police that had a network of surveillance cameras that had especially good coverage of the area near the central railway station where many illegal and criminal activities took place. David asked if they had any automatic face-recognition software and Kobi said that they had a sophisticated algorithm that could pick up facial features even in a crowd and match them with photographs of suspects. David decided to call Herb Harden, the CIA station chief and ask him to contact the Brussels police, after all the culprits were American citizens and it would not be easy to explain why Israeli agents are interested in them.

  David called Harden and explained the situation and Harden acknowledged that he had received a phone call from Eugene and already had some ideas about how to proceed. Harden said that if they had to go through official channels to gain the cooperation of the local police they would have to give a reason for their request, but fortunately, he had an excellent relationship with the Belgian anti-terrorist police unit and its boss, Thierry Van Der Wals. Harden added that he would tell Thierry that Nagib and Alia were wanted by US authorities in connection with their involvement with Islamic terror cells and were last seen in Brussels. David approved the plan, although he had hoped to be able to get to Nagib first and obtain the classified information he possessed before the Americans could recover it.

  Harden called Thierry and requested his help in locating the couple. Thierry wondered why the CIA was involved, he thought that the Department of Homeland Security would be in charge of thwarting domestic terrorism, but agreed to search at the security cameras for a match with the photos that Harden had sent him electronically. He said that it could take several hours unless they could be more specific about the time and location. Harden replied that to the best of his knowledge, the couple arrived in Brussels around noon the previous day, left their car at a parking lot near the central railway station and probably found a cheap hotel in the same area. Thierry said this was very helpful and he will get his colleagues in the police to scan the surveillance photos taken by the cameras in the vicinity of the parking lot.

  Within a couple of hours Harden received a call from Thierry inviting him to come over to the police headquarters. Harden asked if he could bring a foreign guest and was given permission to do so. It was just after noon when David and Harden entered the police station and were escorted to the room where the photos were on display. There was no doubt that Nagib and Alia were photographed by a sequence of surveillance cameras from the moment they entered the parking lot and left their car until they reached the small hotel in which they spent the night. Harden asked for a short break and summoned two of his people to go to the hotel and interview the owner about the couple. The camera nearest to the hotel recorded the couple leaving the hotel shortly after they checked in – the time was recorded as 2:20 pm – and head to the Metro station. They were seen entering the station and buying Metro tickets and then waiting for the next train at a southbound platform but it was not clear where they were heading. The same camera recorded them returning to the hotel around 6 pm and then they were spotted on another camera leaving their hotel again just before 8 pm. This time they didn't take a train but strolled on foot and Thierry said that they were probably going somewhere for dinner, most likely at a restaurant in the vicinity of the hotel. They were captured on camera later that evening as they returned to the hotel. There was no one accompanying them. They were next seen as they checked out of the hotel in the morning, just a few hours earlier, carrying their luggage to the central station and heading to the same metro platform they used the previous day. David asked if the photos from the cameras all along the line could be checked – the timing was easy to determine as they were seen boarding a south bound train at 8:20 am. They were observed by the surveillance camera near the Gare de Boitsfort station as they were leaving the station before 9 am. Unfortunately, there were only a few other surveillance cameras in that area so there was no trace of them after they left the station. David asked Thierry if he knew what points of interest were around the station so he called for a map of Brussels and they looked at potential places in the vicinity. Harden was the first to notice that the Pakistani embassy was close to the station and wordlessly pointed his finger at it. David looked at him and saw that his face took on a pale shade, practically blanched, as he understood the potential ramifications, and hastily offered Harden a glass of cold water. David asked Thierry if the embassy was under surveillance but was told that Belgium did not spy on diplomats, which David found hard to believe.

  David thanked Thierry and apologized that he and Harden had to leave and that they were grateful for his cooperation. Once they were out of the police headquarters David asked Harden if his people could hack into the security cameras of the Pakistani embassy and see whether Nagib and Alia actually entered the embassy. Harden who slowly recovered from his shocked state said he would contact his NSA liaison officer and see if the footage was available. He then confided in David telling him that if the stolen blueprints were delivered to the Pakistanis then the balance of power between India and Pakistan in South Asia would be disturbed, and perhaps this could affect the Middle East and the whole world. David had reached the same conclusions himself but played dumb asking Harden what information was contained in Nagib's possession, but Harden only kept repeating that it was potentially a major catastrophe without elaborating on the content of the stolen data.

  David asked Harden if the CIA had additional information on the Pakistani embassy in Brussels and was told that many people in the US administration, and especially in the intelligence community, were concerned that amongst the ruling class of Pakistan there was a strong resentment of the US and its policy. Although there appeared to be a large degree of cooperation between the two countries on the official level – the US supplied Pakistan with advanced weapon systems, aircraft and technology, as well as with financial aid – the undercurrents regarded the US as an unreliable ally in times of crisis, giving as examples the role played by the US during the skirmishes and wars with India. The Pakistanis felt that the US did not give them real support against India. Harden added that Pakistan had developed and tested nuclear devices despite attempts by the West to stop them from doing so and had produced a stock of several dozen warheads. The Americans found that to be particularly troublesome as the supervision of those warheads was in the hands of a special unit of Pakistani intelligence that was known to include sympathizers of fundamentalist Islamic movements. David was a bit surprised by the candid assessment of the US-Pakistan relations and repeated his question, although from Harden's outburst he could guess that the answer was affirmative. Harden then said, that of course all Pakistani official and especially unofficial institutions were watched by the US, and that included the large Pakistani mission in Brussels.

  ***

  The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Brussels is located at 15 Avenue Franklin Roosevelt and that of the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea or DPRK was at Chaussee de la Hulpe 175, just a short way from the Pakistani embassy and quite close to the apartment in which Nagib and Alia sought refuge. However, the meeting between Kim and Mahmood took place near the central railway station from where Ammer had thought that Nagib's phone call originated. Each participant brought with him an entourage of half a dozen goons but in a cosmopolitan city like Brussels neither the dark-skin of the Iranians nor the oriental appearance of the Koreans was out of place. Kim and Mahmoud were quite familiar with life in Western Europe and felt comfortably at home in Brussels. However, they did not know where to start the search and spent about an hour discussing this issue while the memb
ers of their entourages regarded each other with suspicion and kept a fair distance between them. At the end of the discussion they were in agreement that the most probable option for the couple to barter their goods would be either with the Islamic State people or the Pakistanis. Mahmoud said that the Sunni IS Muslims were dire enemies of the Shiite Iranians so he proposed that they divide the task: the Iranians will try to contact the Pakistanis while the DPRK contact IS operatives. Kim didn't like this idea but had nothing better to propose, so that was agreed upon.

  Part 4. Getting the deal

  Chapter 9

  June 26th, evening, Brussels

  Nagib and Alia settled down in the apartment and he watched some sports on TV while she prepared a light meal from the products in the kitchen. As they were finishing their meal Nagib's phone with the SIM card given to him by Rahman rang and he saw that it was Rahman on the caller ID. He answered and was told, without mentioning any names, to expect a visit an hour later.

  An hour later there was a quiet rap on the door and after looking through the peephole Nagib opened the door to let in Rahman, Junaid and an older man who was introduced as General Masood, Head of Intelligence. Alia offered everyone coffee or tea and they all opted for herbal tea. Masood took the lead and said that he had been briefed by Rahman and understood that Nagib had something very valuable for sale. Nagib reiterated that he was not interested in money for himself and really was interested in cooperation to strike a blow at the enemies of Islam, especially the Americans and Israelis. Masood said that they had a common cause and common enemies and therefore cooperation should be forthcoming. He then asked what Nagib had to offer and when Nagib gave an overview of the blueprints that he had downloaded describing the wide range of warheads that included tactical, extremely small "suitcase bombs" as well as "The super high yield (SHY) device". Naturally he didn't use the word stolen blueprints and while talking he became aware of Masood's jaw dropping open. It was such a hilarious sight that he barely managed to keep a straight face. Masood excused himself and beckoned Rahman and Junaid to follow him to the bedroom. In Urdu he quietly asked them if they were sure this was not some kind of sting operation by the intelligence services of America, Israel or India and was assured by Rahman that the sample he was given in the morning was indeed the real thing. Masood remained skeptical and said that such a cornucopia must be a gift of Allah and saw nods of approval by his younger colleagues. When the Pakistanis returned to the living room Nagib could easily read their expressions and knew that he could make any demands he wanted.

  Masood tried to play it cool but could not refrain from smiling when he asked Nagib what he wanted in return. Nagib and Alia held hands and repeated that they wanted revenge and justice, and they thought that the punishment should equal the crimes committed by the Americans and Israelis against the Muslims. When asked what exactly they had in mind they said that they were thinking on a scale of tens of thousands of casualties. Masood said that could only be achieved by a war or a long series of terrorist operations. Nagib said that for these types of operations he could contact any Muslim country in the world or jihadist organization, but for unconventional options he needed cooperation from Pakistan. General Masood appeared thoughtful and said that if Nagib was referring to nuclear weapons he should know that none had been used against populations since World War II in 1945. Nagib said that he was well aware of that and that he would settle for a couple of tactical warheads, preferably the size of the "suitcase bombs" with yields of a few kilotons – one for use against the Americans and one for the Israelis. Masood said that the risks were too great because if word of Pakistani involvement got out then the total destruction of his homeland was assured – if not by the Americans then by the Israelis who were believed to have a large arsenal of nuclear weapons. Nagib said that with the information he had in his possession Pakistan could build its own arsenal of advanced weapons that would ensure that no one would mess with them – in other words create a balance of mutual nuclear terror even with the US. Masood noted that the timeline was not right – if Nagib insisted on receiving the tactical warheads when he delivered the blueprints the Pakistanis would not have enough time to produce the advanced designs. Nagib said frankly that if he handed over the blueprints and waited for the warheads there was no guarantee that the Pakistanis would not renege from carrying out their part of the deal. Nagib added that he had a solution. He would first hand over only the blueprints for the smaller warheads. The Pakistanis could either supply him with two of their own tactical warheads or, if their performance was not satisfactory (meaning yields of less than 10 kilotons) then they could quickly use the blueprints to manufacture a couple of devices with advanced designs and hand them over to Nagib. Once these were received he would release the designs of the larger, strategic warheads. Nagib said that he would not use the warheads until the Pakistanis had time to produce these advanced designs. Rahman intervened and asked whether the blueprints were in a safe place and Nagib assured him that they were. The general who was still concerned with the whole deal asked if his country would be guaranteed exclusivity and Nagib promised him that he did not intend to share the designs with any other country or organization. Masood then asked how Nagib intended to transport the nuclear devices and deliver them to the target area and was told that Nagib and Alia already had preliminary plans for this, but he preferred to not to share them at this stage.

  Junaid, who was a lot more practical although with less field experience than the men, asked Nagib where he intended to go into hiding with the warheads until the Pakistani scientists and engineers were ready with the modernized weapons. Nagib and Alia exchanged a long look and had to admit that they had not considered that they would need to find a safe haven, probably for several months if not for a few years. Masood who understood the problem told them that hiding in Pakistan would be an option but that he would need approval of the council for the deal in general and specifically for offering them asylum, as their very presence in Pakistan would lead to extreme pressure from the US to extradite them. Nagib said that he thought that they would be safe under the auspices of the Islamic State in parts of Iraq and Syria that were under IS control. Rahman looked at him as if he had just escaped from a mental institution and said that there was no way that he would be able to live there and stay in possession of a nuclear warhead, let alone of his own head. Alia, too, didn't like this wild idea her husband had just come up with and said that they could possibly approach the Saudis who were desperately trying to get their hands on a nuclear weapon of their own in response to Iran's efforts to develop the Shiite bomb. There were no foolproof solutions to this problem so Nagib asked for some extra time to sleep on it. They parted and agreed to meet the next day at noon and Masood promised to return with an answer about the deal and the asylum in Pakistan.

  Once outside the apartment the three Pakistanis quietly discussed the matter. The senior man, Masood, said that possession of the blueprints would turn Pakistan from a second rate nuclear power into a leading one, superior to all but the American, Russians and Chinese, provided that the information was accurate and reliable. Rahman agreed and added that he was not qualified to professionally judge of the value of the data but he was convinced that Nagib believed that they were the genuine blueprints. Junaid, once again being the practical person, said that she was worried that the Americans as well as other intelligence agencies were trying to hunt down the couple and recover the files, and added that she felt they were not safe enough in Brussels. Masood then wondered aloud if there was a way to get the files without paying the requested price but Rahman said that Nagib was probably too clever to fall for such a ploy. He commented that if he would be in such a delicate position he would make sure that the access to the files was encoded in such a way that any unauthenticated attempts to open them would lead to their total self- destruction. He added that they could go through the motions of complying with Nagib's conditions and later find a way to renege of their part of the deal. Ju
naid asked what he had in mind and Rahman said that they could supply inoperable or fake warheads, or even deliver genuine products but forcibly recover them.

  ***

  While this was taking place in the small apartment, David wondered how he could enlist the assets of the American intelligence community to locate the couple and seize the classified data for the benefit of his country. The most productive approach would be to cooperate with Harden and make a joint effort to find the couple either by hacking into the Belgian surveillance cameras or through the Pakistanis. He knew that Mossad kept a close watch on Pakistanis with ties to Al Qaeda fearing that a rogue nuclear weapon would end in the hands of the ruthless terrorist organization. He was also aware of the fact that Al Qaeda was losing favor among radical Islamists to the more extreme and callous Islamic State movement. He decided to consult with Haim Shimony, the head of Mossad, and see if there was any specific information on personnel at the Pakistani embassy in Brussels with ties to these two organizations. He returned to the offices of the Israeli delegation to the European Community and used a secure line to call Shimony. He was surprised to learn that Mossad was actively tracking a general in Pakistani intelligence and one of the most senior operatives suspected of being a sympathizer of Islamic radicals who was on a visit to Europe. Shimony added that the general, Masood Azzam, was on an official visit to Berlin when he told his German hosts that some urgent matter had come up and he had to skip the dinner party that had been arranged in honor of the newly formed German-Pakistani intelligence cooperation agreement. He excused himself and said that he had to go to Brussels to tend to a relative that had fallen sick. The Mossad team managed to place one of the agents on the same flight and called ahead to alert the agents in Brussels. David asked if they knew where the general was going and Shimony said that he would patch him in to the team in Brussels. David immediately recognized Kobi's voice and asked him what was going on. Kobi said that he received the sudden call from the Mossad office in Berlin and didn't have time to update David as he had to deploy his agents on the new pressing mission. David was angry that he wasn't informed immediately but suppressed his rage and asked Kobi for an update. Kobi told him that the general was met by Rahman Chenna who was the senior member of Pakistani intelligence in Brussels operating under the guise of the scientific attaché. Rahman was accompanied by a young woman, obviously also Pakistani that was not known to the Mossad operatives. David asked where they all went and Kobi apologetically told him that Rahman had taken aggressive evasive action and the Mossad agents lost track of him. Shimony followed the conversation and reprimanded Kobi for unprofessional behavior – first on account of failing to update David in real time and keep him in the loop and secondly for losing track of the Pakistanis. Kobi apologized and begged for another chance to prove himself worthy of his position and Shimony consented on condition that he obeyed David's orders.