The Looming Tower (82 page)

THIS BOOK
comes heavily mortgaged to the generosity of hundreds of people. Although I can never repay their kindness, I hope they will feel that I have honored their trust.

Sayyid Qutb may have been miserable in Greeley, Colorado, but he did not have the advantage of meeting Peggy A. Ford, the archives and research coordinator at the City of Greeley Museum, or Janet Waters, the head of archival services at the James A. Michener Library of the University of Northern Colorado, who made themselves and their useful files available. Ken McConnellogue, the vice president for university advancement at the same institution, graciously provided vital background information; and Michael Welsh, a professor of history, took me around the campus and the town and gave me such an insightful and delightful tour that I came away envying his students.

Foreign correspondents rely on “fixers” to guide them through cultures they barely understand. Fixers make appointments, translate, and often provide context that a stranger could never grasp on his own. In Cairo, I was especially blessed by the delightful company of Mandi Fahmy, as well as Rola Mahmoud and Jailan Zayan. Samir Rafaat was an invaluable escort into the Maadi childhood of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri. I am deeply indebted to Mahfouz Azzam and Omar Azzam for their patient and gracious responses to my endless queries. Gamal al-Banna and Essam el-Eryan provided invaluable insights on the Muslim Brotherhood, and Kamal Habib was highly informative about the origins of al-Jihad. Mamdouh Ismail, Gamal Sultan, and Montassir al-Zayyat were indispensable informants on Islamic movements, and Fouad Allam helped me understand the government’s response to the challenges such organizations posed. Abdallah Schleifer was a source of great insight and amusement, and a surprisingly fine cook to boot. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, fresh from prison and still suffering the effects of that ordeal, was kind enough to give me the benefit of his invaluable research. For their friendship and hospitality, I particularly thank Jan and Safwat Montassir, Sanna Hannonen Negus, Dr. Abdul Wahab Ibrahim and Aida el-Bermawy, Raymond Stock, Jim Pringle and Samia el-Bermawy, Essam Deraz, Ali Salem, and my old professor Dr. Yehia el-Ezabi.

I spent more than a year after 9/11 seeking a visa from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Finally, realizing that I wasn’t going to get in as a reporter, I took a job “mentoring” young reporters at the
Saudi Gazette
in Jeddah, bin Laden’s hometown. This serendipitous ploy permitted me an understanding of Saudi society that I could never have gained from the journalist’s lofty vantage. For that, I have to thank Dr. Ahmed al-Yousef, the editor in chief; Dr. Mohammed Shoukany, the editor who invited me into his newsroom in the first place; and my colleagues Iftikar Ahmed, Ramesh Balon, Ramzi Khouri, and Mazhar Siddiqi. My greatest teachers, however, were my reporters: Faisal Bajaber, Hasan Basweid, Najla Fathi, Mamdouh al-Harithi, Hasan Hatrash, Mohammed Zoheb Patel, Mahmoud Shukri, and Sabahat Siddiqi. I owe a great debt to the generous spirits of Faiza Ambah, Elizabeth O. Colton, Dr. Khaled Batarfi, Berhan Hailu, Peter Harrigan, Jamal Khalifa, Jamal Khashoggi, Khaled al-Maeena, Dr. Abdullah al-Shehri, Hussein Shobokshi, and Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, who made my journeys to the Kingdom both productive and enjoyable.

In Pakistan, I shamelessly milked my colleagues for their experiences in covering the jihad. I thank Kathy Gannon of Associated Press, Françoise Chipaux at
Le Monde,
Jamal Ismail at Abu Dhabi television, Ismail Khan at
Dawn,
Rahimullah Yusufzai at the
News of Islamabad,
and Ahmed Muaffaq Zaidan at al-Jazeera. Mahnaz Ispahani provided a very useful overview of the country and some invaluable sources as well. Despite the vast difference that separated our views of the world, Khaled Khawaja went to great lengths to help me understand his perspective. I am particularly indebted to Zaynab Ahmed Khadr for sharing her intimate memories of life in the al-Qaeda community during our many conversations in Pakistan and Canada. Bahram Rahman guided me through Afghanistan, and his company was always a pleasure. I think I still owe Dominic Medley a drink at the Hotel Mustafa.

Issam Eldin al-Turabi was a very entertaining and enlightening host during my several trips to Sudan. I’m also grateful to Mohammed Loay Baizid for entrusting me with his recollections, and to Hassabulla Omer for candidly discussing the dilemma bin Laden posed to Sudanese intelligence.

Georg Mascolo and his investigative team at
Der Spiegel
did first-rate work uncovering the secret life of the Hamburg cell. Georg lent me one of his finest reporters, Cordula Meyer, to be my guide during my time in Hamburg, and I depended on her insights for my portrait of the hijackers in Germany. I am also grateful to Dr. Guido Steinberg in Berlin, the former head of counterterrorism for the chancellor’s office, whose expertise on terrorism helped shape my understanding. In Spain, I was assisted by Rocio Millán Johnson, an enterprising reporter and a wonderful spirit. I am also grateful to Emilio Lamo de Espinosa and Haizam Amirah Fernández of the Real Instituto Elcano. Gustavo de Aristegui was a challenging intellectual companion during my time in Madrid. Juan Cotino, Enrique García, Emiliano Burdiel Pascual, and Teodoro Gómez Domínguez of the national police were extremely accommodating. I also want to acknowledge my colleagues: Fernando Lázaro at
El Mundo,
José María Irujo at
El País,
Ramón Pérez Maura at
ABC,
and especially Keith Johnson at the
Wall Street Journal,
each of whom generously helped me with sources and information.

The first time I went to interview Gilles Kepel, professor of Middle East Studies at the Institute for Political Studies in Paris, he asked me to teach his class instead. It turned out to be the best introduction to a man whose groundbreaking work on Islamism in Egypt has shaped the scholarship of this movement. His students are a powerful and enduring reflection of his influence. I am also very much indebted to the hospitality of my former editor at
The New Yorker,
Lee Aitken, and to my friends Christopher and Carol Dickey, who made my trips to Paris so much more enjoyable than they would have been without their delightful company. Olivier Roy, a profound scholar, was kind enough to share his thoughts with me on several occasions; and the courageous counterterrorism judge Jean-Louis Bruguière gave me the benefit of his unique understanding of al-Qaeda.

London is a special stop for any reporter interested in Islamism and jihad. Some of my best sources have been granted political asylum, and they willingly talked to me despite the threat that their status might be changed at any time. I’m particularly thankful to Yassir el-Sirri, Usama Rushdi, and Hani el-Siba‘iy. Abdullah Anas and Kemal Helbawi were great friends to me during my visits and made important contributions to my understanding of the Arab Afghan experience. Alan Fry of Scotland Yard shared the British counterterrorist perspective with me. Yosri Fouda, the star reporter for al-Jazeera, was a welcome companion on several very memorable evenings. Abdul Rahman al-Rashid, the former editor of
Al-Sharq al-Awsat,
was a generous informant, and his successor in that chair, Tariq al-Homayed, has been a kindred spirit since we first met in Jeddah. I want to pay especial tribute to Mohammed el-Shafey, a great reporter who has covered terrorism and radical Islam for years at
Al-Sharq al-Awsat.
Many thanks to him for his kindness.

I owe a particular debt to Richard A. Clarke, who was a very patient tutor in the ways of Washington. At the FBI, I will always appreciate the candor of the members of the I-49 squad, especially Jack Cloonan, Daniel Coleman, Mark Rossini, and Ali Soufan, each of whom I interviewed countless times. Without them, there would be no book, it’s that simple. Pascuale D’Amuro made sure that the New York office was open to me, and for his trust, I am deeply grateful. Joe Valiquette and Jim Margolin assisted me by arranging interviews that often went on long after the offices closed. At headquarters, I would like to thank John Miller, Michael Kortan, and Angela Bell, who were very helpful in setting up interviews and providing information. Michael Scheuer was a candid guide to the culture of Alec Station and the CIA. His scholarship on bin Laden and al-Qaeda are unsurpassed. There are other people in the American intelligence community I cannot name who have been extremely helpful.

Three women—Anna DiBattista, Valerie James, and Mary Lynn Stevens—shared their often painful memories of John O’Neill, and I was privileged to be entrusted with their stories.

Languages naturally posed a barrier, so I would like to thank the translators that I have hired all over the world. In Arabic: my former assistant Dina Ibrahim was absolutely invaluable, not just because of her skillful translation; also Dina’s sister May, and on occasion their mother Aida; my Arabic instructor, Amjad M. Abu Nseir; Jilan Kamel; Nidal Daraiseh, another valued assistant; and Reham al-Sharif in Cairo. In German: Ralf Jaeger and Chester Rosson. In French and Italian: Caroline Wright. In Spanish: Rocio Millán Johnson, Frank Hodgkins, and Major Edward Jeep.

Portions of this book appeared in
The New Yorker;
indeed, this project began on September
11, 2001,
when I asked the editor, David Remnick, to put me to work. Since then I have had the benefit of that magazine’s exacting editorial assistance. Jeffrey Frank, Charles Michener, and Daniel Zalewski have each handled articles that contribute to the final product. I am always indebted to
The New Yorker
’s fact-checkers, my favorite department of the magazine, which is overseen by Peter Canby. Checkers who have assisted me on this project include Gita Daneshjoo, Boris Fishman, Jacob Goldstein, Marina Harss, Austin Kelley, Andy Young, and particularly Nana Asfour, who also served as the Arabic translator for several important interviews. I owe a huge debt to Natasha Lunn, the magazine’s photo editor, who drew together many of the images that have been included in this book.

Many people assisted in getting me visas or access to people that I could never have approached on my own. Janet McElligot and Milt Bearden were extremely kind in this regard. In addition to helping to shape the ideas for this book, Elizabeth Fernea actually found me the job in Saudi Arabia. Her contribution is apparent all through this work.

There is a small group of private scholars whose work on terrorism has been of great assistance to journalists, and I want to thank Rita Katz and the SITE Institute, Steven Emerson and Lorenzo Vidino of the Investigative Project, and Evan F. Kohlmann for making materials available from their collections. I’m also indebted to Michael Elsner at the Motley Rice law firm, who generously let me prowl through their impressive archive. Karen Greenburg and the staff of the Center on Law and Security at the New York University School of Law have provided an intellectual testing ground for many of the ideas explored in this book.

I am fortunate to be a part of a virtual community, Gulf
2000,
created by Gary Sick, adjunct professor of international affairs and the former director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University. G2K, as its members call it, has proved to be an absolutely invaluable resource of scholarship and shared ideas.

Journalists count on each other even when they are competing. In addition to the colleagues I’ve already mentioned, I would particularly like to acknowledge the assistance of CNN’s terrorism analyst, Peter L. Bergen, John Burnett with National Public Radio, Chris Isham of ABC News, Stephen Franklin at the
Chicago Tribune,
Jonathan Ledgard at
The Economist,
and Philip Smucker at
Time,
each of whom gave me the benefit of their greater experience and many valuable contacts. They are courageous souls and valued friends.

Kurt Kjeldsen, who on 9/11 was a reporter for
Waters
magazine, happened to be late for a meeting in the World Trade Center that morning, and because he fell asleep on the subway he survived to tell me his story, which became a part of
The New Yorker
’s now-famous black issue of September
24, 2001.
Kurt also did me the favor, as a colleague, of attending John O’Neill’s memorial service and interviewing some of O’Neill’s friends and coworkers on that occasion.

Will Haber gave me valued assistance, as did Mona Abdel-Halim, who has become a trusted sounding board. Jan McInroy has been my preferred copy editor for many years, and I always count on her judgment. I am especially reliant on Nora Ankrum, who helped me organize the mass of information into fourteen boxes of note cards. Her cheerful presence lightened this sometimes daunting task.

I owe a special debt to Stephen Harrigan and Gregory Curtis, dear friends, who read the book in its rawest form and made extremely helpful suggestions. It was Steve who suggested writing this book in the first place. Peter Bergen, Rachel Bronson, John Calvert, Steve Coll, Mary Deborah Doran, Thomas Hegghammer, Michael Rolince, Marc Sageman, and Michael Welsh read all or portions of the book and gave me the benefit of their expertise. The errors that remain in the book are my responsibility, but there are fewer of them thanks to the generosity of these patient readers.

My friend and agent, Wendy Weil, campaigned for this project; fortunately, Ann Close, who edited three of my previous books, reunited with me on this one. I am grateful to have my team back together! My wife, Roberta, supported my decision to do this book, although it meant that we were apart for much of the nearly five years that it has taken to accomplish. I’m so happy to be home.

FOOTNOTES

^*
Wilson Teachers College merged with three other schools to form the University of the District of Columbia in1977.
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^*
Now the University of Northern Colorado.
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^*
The community of believers split after the death of Prophet Mohammed in 632
C
.
E
. because of a quarrel over the line of succession. Those who call themselves Sunni supported the election of the caliphs, but another group, which became the Shia, believed that the caliphate should have passed through the Prophet’s descendants, beginning with his cousin and son-in-law, Ali. Since then, the two branches have evolved numerous theological and cultural differences.
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