by Tom Haase
“What about the terrorists? Do you want any captured for interrogation?” Matt asked.
“We have no use for them, as the CD contained all the details we need,” The general responded. “If you do capture one, that would be okay, but not necessary.”
“To be at their reported rendezvous at six o’clock they have to pass the location we picked between four and four thirty local. We’ll move you into position by chopper at two in order to get your ambush set. We can’t just blow them up with an air strike, because of the contamination that might occur from scattered atomic material in another sovereign country. They would blame us and we would have to fess up to the whole operation,” Glenwood added.
“Understood. By the timeline you set, we will be ready to move at noon tomorrow.” Matt had a feeling they were behind again, especially if the terrorists moved early. He could do nothing at this time since he did not know where they were located, and worse, he did not know if they had received reinforcements to replace their losses.
“Okay, gentlemen, keep me informed,” concluded Mary Jean just as the red phone on her desk rang. The admiral came on the line sounding his usual gruff self.
“All right, Mary Jean, what the hell is going on? I can figure you have an operation going on since no one else is on this atomic weapon thing. I need to know it all. I’ll have to inform the National Command Authority. I want to know everything before I call the president’s National Security Advisor. He’ll blow a gasket at this whole thing and have a hemorrhage over the fact that you are conducting a covert operation on Saudi soil.”
She told him all the details of the events from Beirut up to the raid on the house that netted the CD, which had the information his people had decoded, and then said, “I realize your duty to go up the chain and I have had the same quandary here. I am going over to tell the director in a few minutes. Admiral, you see, I want to make sure the team has a chance to accomplish its mission before too many Washington types get involved.”
“I know what you are asking. I doubt if I can allow any delay in informing the National Security Advisor. He will have to tell the President in a matter of minutes. Then the National Security Council will get involved, hell, you know the ropes on this type of thing.”
“Yes, but the President and his advisor are out of town, on a campaign tour to gin up support in the congressional elections. Could you see your way through to making a phone call to his office to tell him to call you? Since you know he won’t be there, it will be sometime tomorrow before he returns the call. In that way you have covered our collective butts by technically attempting to notify them.”
“Well, Mary Jean, I can see why the director of DIA has such a high opinion of you, and why you have that division. I’ll see what I can do along that line. When is the operation scheduled to go down?”
Mary Jean told the admiral the details of the interception plan. As she hung up the phone, she had a sense the admiral would do as she requested. He was aware of the quagmire that could result from premature disclosure of their plan to conduct this operation on Saudi soil. The State Department would throw up all kinds of objections and insist that the proper method of handling this would be to consult with the government of Saudi Arabia. This would give time for the terrorist to implement the plan to destroy Ras Tanura and contaminate the oil reserves, while “urgent diplomatic discussions” took place.
Her team was in place and ready to execute the take down of the terrorists. More information on all aspects of the terrorists’ activity and movement must materialize to make sure nothing went wrong, but at this moment, she lacked that information. Of course the NSA might intercept something or there might be a break in the overhead satellite imagery. But right now there was no news.
* * *
Matt Higgins realized he could use more information on the terrorists. His team just sat waiting. He hated this and of repeatedly being late to the action. The terrorists seemed always to be ahead of them.
“Bridget, let’s go out and do some recon on our own. We are just killing time here until tomorrow.” Matt signaled her to walk with him toward the garage. “Get changed into civilian clothes and we will each take a vehicle from the ones they left here. They’re the most common type of vehicle in this area and shouldn’t cause any suspicion. You just have to hide your female attributes in order not to draw attention, since women can’t drive in this country.”
“Sounds good to me. At least, we’ll be doing something. Not sitting here on our butts. I’ll get the rest of the team in civvies, and have them get the other vehicle ready to go if we find anything. Do you think we have any chance of finding them?”
“Realistically, no. But, let’s do it. I’m in command and it’s time for us to act. We can hope the center provides us with more detailed information or we can try to get it ourselves. Besides, they will never know if we’re unsuccessful.”
Bridget smiled at this and nodded her agreement. She recognized she was developing unaccounted feelings for this man. He was smart, motivated, and dedicated, all attributes she admired. Not now, she told herself. Concentrate on the mission.
They set off in using their best guess on the direction the terrorists would take towards Ras Tanura. There were four roads leading in that direction from their present location. They knew the terrorists’ hideout had to be short of the bridges on the single back road they would use for the ambush. Therefore, they needed to be positioned within a four-hour drive from their present location. Matt developed a grid search plan to go along the roads. After checking the communications links and the fuel levels in the Land Rovers, they started out.
After four hours driving the roads, both felt tired. Neither Matt nor Bridget reported seeing anything that would give an indication of the terrorist location.
“I’m starting back to our first route. What’s your location?” Matt inquired over their communication link.
“About three miles from where our search routes two and three meet, and I need fuel. This thing eats gas.”
“Okay. I saw fuel pumps at that intersection and a small store. Meet me there.”
“Be about ten minutes,” Bridget said.
They met at the pumps and fueled the vehicles. Matt did all the talking and Bridget stayed by the cars with her cap covering her hair. Then they moved the vehicles off to the side of the road at the edge of the little fueling station and Bridget got into Matt’s vehicle.
“Well, we have seen nothing that could give away where they are hiding,” Matt said, pulling out a map.
“No. But we were at least out here trying, not milling around mill waiting for someone else. I feel good about that,” Bridget said.
“Where the hell could they be? It has to be near the road and there must be enough room to hide the vehicles and men, as well as whatever they are using to move the atomic material.”
They both sat there in the cabin of the vehicle, reclining back in their seats trying to relax for a few minutes.
“Well, I guess we have had it. Time to start back to join the others,” Matt said.
“Yea, at least we tried,” Bridget said. She thought of bending over to kiss him but stopped herself.
Behind them, three vehicles pulled up to the fuel pumps.
24
Hezbollah Fighters
RIYADH – 28 OCTOBER
Early in the evening Tewfik al-Hanbali called Faisal. He waited as the phone rang and Faisal answered on the third ring.
“Faisal, thanks to you I have a new phone. Never used before. I still want to make this short. Can you get your men to my new location? I am afraid the American dogs might be acting on our last conversation and would know where we were planning to meet. A change in plans is warranted.”
“Yes, we can come now. Tell me where. I think you are right in changing things after the recent series of attacks. Where do you want my men?” Faisal said without any acrimony in his tone.
“You will have to leave Beirut in time to get here by t
omorrow evening. I would like to leave the next day to go to a staging area and on to the targets the day after for a noon attack. Can you do that?” Al-Hanbali was assuming Faisal remained in Lebanon. He had no way of knowing Faisal had moved his team of eight PLO-Hezbollah fighters to Riyadh. There Faisal met with fellow PLO members, who provided weapons for his cell. He then ordered his men to get some rest. Hezbollah planned to acquire an atomic weapon.
“I’ll get them there at the time you have said. Where is it that you want us?”
Detailed instructions were given as to his location. He ended the call with well wishes to Faisal and his men.
At the safe house in Riyadh, Faisal assembled his team and related the conversation to them. One of the team had a map of the area Tewfik had specified.
“I think it would take us about four hours driving time to reach the location,” Madjid said. He was the oldest member of the cell. He had also spent many months in Saudi.
After studying the map, Faisal said, “It looks as if the location is isolated and on a hill. The logical thing to do is to arrive early, before they expect us. Preferably in the middle of the afternoon as they will be out of the heat of the day.” He moved away from the map and walked toward the open window. He looked out of his hotel room on the dusty suburbs spreading as far as one could see in the evening light.
He turned to the assembled group and continued. “I was surprised by Tewfik’s reference to ‘targets.’ If he has more than one bomb we are really in luck. We leave in the morning. We should be in his general area by noon to two o’clock. He won’t expect us till dark. That will get us there about the time they will be taking an afternoon rest and we’ll be able to initiate our operation in daylight with minimum preparation and good visibility since it will be over unfamiliar ground.”
“Do you think there will be any guards or security systems?” asked one man.
“That is very possible. After the attack on his house, I think he will have, at least, an exterior guard. Therefore, we will have to be careful on our approach. We will leave at seven. I don’t see any way we could arrive pretending to carry out the mission as was initially agreed. Our people would not have weapons and there would be only two of them. There would be no way for just two men to steal the bomb, as they will be guarding it. No, we have to attack and take it. If it’s ready to use, then the system to detonate it is already set up. We have to get it and Madjid can figure out how to use it.”
The next morning, the Hezbollah fighters set off for al-Hanbali’s location. The route they followed took them through the outskirts of Riyadh and then out onto the road leading back to Ras Tanura. Unlike al-Hanbali in his decision to use back roads, Faisal took the modern highway and sped across the open desert. Once beyond the edge of human occupation, the outlying mud huts of the city, the desert stretched as far as one could see. At this time in the morning it was not hot, but in a few hours the temperature would be at least one hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit. The Hezbollah group traveled for over four hours with no stops. The road seemed to go on forever. Once or twice they saw camel caravans plying their way across the desert. Some nomadic tribes still kept to that way of life.
They had to get off the main road and follow a tertiary one for some distance to get to the area al-Hanbali had specified. After traveling on the dusty road for some minutes, Faisal decided they needed to take a break and fuel the three vehicles. As he travelled in the lead car, he ordered the driver to pull into the little wayside store with exterior fuel pumps.
After the car came to a stop, Faisal got out and walked into the store. His men got out to stretch, relieve themselves and then start to fuel the vehicles. No one paid attention to a dust covered Land Rover parked one hundred feet away.
* * *
“Holy shit! That bastard is one of the ones you showed us back at the Center. Faisal, I think. He’s here. Right now with three vehicles,” Bridget exclaimed.
Inside the Land Rover, Matt sat up straight. He saw, in the outside mirror, the small convoy that had pulled up to the pumps. A man had emerged from the lead vehicle, he could not believe his eyes.
Matt slowly moved his hand up to adjust the rear view mirror, not wanting to draw attention from any rapid movement. He studied the man as he went into the little kiosk. He nodded to Bridget.
“By god, you’re right,” he said. “Get on the phone and tell our guys to get moving and we will inform them what to do as we follow these guys. You get into your vehicle after they leave and we’ll take turns following them at a distance. That way they’ll see different cars, just in case they spot someone on their tail. These types of cars are everywhere and shouldn’t draw attention.” Matt was reaching for his satellite phone as he gave the order to Bridget.
In less than a minute, he connected with the Center on the phone. Lieutenant Commander Glenwood McDonald was not there and he requested the duty officer to have McDonald call him at once. It would take a few minutes to get the message to McDonald and he did not have an encrypted phone at home. He would have to come to the Center.
As Matt waited for the return call, the men in the three dust-covered vehicles started to drive away from the fuel pumps. He slid down in his seat, as did Bridget. The vehicles turned down the road and headed east.
“Okay, you take the first trailing position. We were down this road earlier today and there are no turn offs for at least three miles. So don’t close on them. Give me a call on the tactical radio if you need anything,” Matt said.
Bridget jumped out and went to her Land Rover, its tan color not discernible under all the sand sticking to the vehicle. She got in and started her pursuit of the targets. They would be easy to follow since the dust plume from three vehicles on the old road left a column of sand rising from the half-paved roadbed.
Matt heard the phone ring and answered. McDonald’s familiar voice came over it from Washington to the middle of Saudi Arabia.
“What’s happened?”
“We just spotted our buddy Faisal. He is about a mile ahead of me with Bridget following his three vehicles,” Matt informed him. “I’m moving the team to wherever he is headed. We’ll take action once we find out what is going on. I’m not going to lose them this time. When we get to their destination I’ll need some overhead if we have time. Can you help?”
“No problem. Just get me the coordinates and we can have something in at most two hours.” McDonald did not sound as excited as Matt felt. He would soon hear the reason. “I’ll call the general right now. We may have to hold up your operation to get more clearances.”
“What the hell do you mean? Hold up? We have the bastard in sight and if we find them all together we can take them out.”
“Hold on, Matt. You don’t have the firepower or manpower to take on a group that now has reinforced manpower of what—maybe eight bad guys with al-Hanbali and five to eight with Faisal? You can’t take on that many.”
“I’ll not attack unless I have the tactical advantage. I’ll get all I know to you as soon as we find the hiding place. Talk to the general and I’ll get back to you when we find their location.”
After closing the phone, Matt took out his frustration on the red tape he felt around his neck and that of his team by slamming the pedal all the way down and roaring down the road after Bridget.
25
Tewfik Al-Hanbali
SAUDI ARABIA
28 OCTOBER – 1:03 P.M.
Tewfik stood in Yuri’s workshop. “Yuri, will you complete the work on the weapons by this afternoon? I’ve got to make plans to move them to their targets and to calculate how to get one placed in an oil well shaft leading to the underground reserves. Madjid has already rigged the oil well to take the weapon, but I just want to make sure everything is in order.”
“Another hour on the smaller of the two bombs and I’ll be finished. The trigger mechanism is as you requested. I put a telephone in the fifty-kiloton bomb. It is keyed to the number you specified and is set for a quick dial on yo
ur phone. The bomb for the deep oil cavity is by detonation from electrical wires attached to a plunger that you must connect by hand. The small one, which is five kilotons, is geared to explode when you push the plunger.” Yuri sagged at his shoulders and weariness was now evident in his face. He knew his work to be satisfactory, but not perfect. He worried the method he used, even though in compliance with all the regulations he had followed in the Russian military, still might not function as he hoped. He knew the weapon would go off and some form of atomic explosion would occur, but it might not be as big as he hoped.
“Okay, Yuri. You will be a very rich man soon. Tell me. Are you glad you did this?”
“Now, I am. It is finished. When do I get my money?”
“You said you would go with us in case there is a problem. I want you to go with Basam and me to the oil fields. I may need help to get that one in place and then we will all disappear to our own prearranged places and you go to yours. Don’t worry. Your money has been wired to your account. You can check it on your computer.” Al-Hanbali went over to Yuri’s personal computer and tapped the top of it with his fingers. “You’ve done an excellent job but you’ll be hunted like the rest of us if your identity ever becomes known. I have kept my word and you have your money. Besides, we might need you again, and if we do, I have your e-mail address.”
“No, I’ll get a new G-mail account and will give it to you before I leave. My old one may be already compromised.”