Overview

A book that will change the way we think about al-Qaeda, intelligence, and the events that forever changed America On September 12, 2001, FBI Special Agent Ali H. Soufan was handed a secret file. Had he received it months earlier--when it was requested--the attacks on New York and Washington could have been prevented. During his time on the front lines, Soufan helped thwart plots around the world and elicited some of the most important confessions from terrorists in the war against al-Qaeda--without laying so much as a hand on them. Most of these stories have never been reported before and never by anyone with such intimate firsthand knowledge. This narrative account of America's successes and failures against al-Qaeda is essential to an understanding of the terrorist group. We are taken into hideouts and interrogation rooms. We have a ringside seat at bin Laden's personal celebration of the 9/11 bombings. Such riveting details show us not only how terrorists think and operate but also how they can be beaten and brought to justice.

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9781455133703

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Reviews

Soufan describes many instances in which he uses his knowledge and a savvy rapport to exploit the personal foibles and intellectual weaknesses of his subjects...The story of America's most famous Arab American FBI agent couldn't come at a more poignant time. -- Mother Jones The author recounts a long career on the trail of al-Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist groups, a quest that sometimes seems to have begun before those groups were even up and running. There is not a whisper of self-promotion in his narrative, but it is clear that Soufan was on the case early and often. -- Kirkus Reviews The revelations uncovered are worth it; this is a story that had to be told. -- Booklist This is an absorbing account of America's fight back after 9/11, full of revealing or amusing details...So ultimately this book is cheering as well as fascinating because it reveals the dedication of those who defend us, as well as the weird frailties of those who try to kill us. -- Sunday Times (London) Although many have claimed to tell the inside story of the hunt for al-Qaeda, Ali Soufan has a better claim than most...This is one of the most valuable and detailed accounts of its subject to appear in the past decade. -- Economist Unfortunately, we only have one Ali Soufan. Had American intelligence listened to him, 9/11 might never have happened. No one did more to unravel the story of al-Qaeda than Ali Soufan. Thankfully, he's left another legacy in this book. Anyone who wants to know what really happened should read it. It's an inspiring but wrenching story told from the heart of a great American. -- Lawrence Wright, New York Times bestselling author Superb. An education. And the best book on al-Qaeda out there, bar none. -- Robert Baer, former CIA official and New York Times bestselling author

Author Information

Ali H. Soufan, a former FBI special agent, served on the front lines against al-Qaeda and gained an international reputation as a top counterterrorism operative and interrogator. He has been profiled in the New Yorker and featured in books, newspaper articles, and documentaries around the globe. Neil Shah is an Audie Award-nominated narrator and voice-over artist who has recorded numerous audiobooks and won an AudioFile Earphones Award. His reading include I Am an Executioner by Rajesh Parameswaran, The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais, and Stringer: A Reporter's Journey in the Congo by Anjan Sundaram. He is a classically trained actor with an MFA from the Old Globe / University of San Diego program and has appeared on off-Broadway and regional stages, as well as in film and television.

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