1. The Looming Tower
Chapters 11-20

2. The Prince of Darkness- Chapter 11
John O’Neill
Appointed chief of FBI’s counter-terrorism section
Nicknamed the Prince of Darkness
Was told by Dick Clarke that Ramzi Yousef was spotted in Islamabad
Got team ready for rendition
Legal kidnapping of suspects in a foreign land
Very urgent and complex
February 7th, agents flew to Islamabad and captured Ramzi Yousef
Dick Clarke and O’Neill formed tight partnership
Clarke the 1st coordinator for counterterrorism on the National Security Council
Member of Counterterrorism Security Group
Their work led to agencies working more in a partnership and opening lines of communication
O’Neill worked hard to foster relationships with foreign dignitaries and public officials
O’Neill one of the 1st to realize the scope of the Islamist terrorists

3. Bin Laden Argued his war was theological, Muslims v. Christians
August 1995
Broke with Saudi Arabia
Attacked King Fahd in a manifesto
Attacked lack of religion
US Troops in the Kingdom
Accused Royal Family of corruption
Saudi Arabia responds with crackdown on dissidents
Bin Laden responds with a car bomb at the Saudi National Guard center in Riyadh
Men were rounded up and beheaded
Bin Laden claimed as his 1st terrorist blow

4. Chapter 12- The Boy Spies Planned assassination of Mubark In Egypt
Egyptian President Hosni Mubark flew to Addis ababa June 26, 1996
Egyptian radicals working with the Islamic group planned assassination
Mubarak attacked, two guards killed
Smart enough to drive back to airport, saved his life
Three assassins captured
Led to U.N. sanctions on Sudan
In Egypt
Sweeping changes
Anti-terrorism law
Security force sweeps
The plan
To deal with Zawahiri, agents lured 13 yr old son of well-known Egypt fundamentalist
Along with another child, forced to become spies
Zawahiri
Found deception
Had boys brought to trial, as adults
Found guilty and executed
Execution videotaped and used as an intimidation tool
Sudan ordered organization out of country immeadiately
Zawahiri took refuge in Yemen

5. Al-Qaeda develops November 19, 1995 Meanwhile…
Zawahiri had Egyptian embassy in Pakistan bombed for 10th anniversary of al-Sadat’s trip to Jerusalem
Prototype for future al-Qaeda attacks
1st success of Zawahiri’s administration
Many of Zawahiri’s followers did not follow killing of innocents and had issue with suicide
Zawahiri later connected suicide bombings with martyrdom
Reversed the language of the prophet and opened the door to universal murder
Meanwhile…
Bin Laden depressed
Isolated
America pushing Sudan to force bin Laden out
Even though Clinton Admin. still only viewed him as a wealthy nuisance
U.S. okay with bin Laden going back to Afghanistan
Has to apologize to go back to the Kingdom
Lost most of fortune in Sudan
Left Sudan May 18, 1996
Headed to Afghanistan

6. Chapter 13: Hijira Back in Afghanistan Three streams of Taliban
Taliban now in control of Afghanistan
Dominated most provinces
Taliban had not invited bin Laden to return
Bin Laden under control of Mullah Mohammed Omar
Mullah fought in Afghan-Soviet war
Taught at madrassa, received a “vision” from the prophet
Instructed to bring peace to country
Led the Taliban
Mullah became leader of religious movement
Three streams of Taliban
Money and Arms from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
Madrassas from across Pakistan border
Opium from Afghanistan
Drug lorders depended on Taliban for security
Bin Laden’s life
Went to Jalalabad
Found quarters for family, went back to business in the honey trade
Worried about Taliban
After Taliban captured Kabul, extreme government took place
Extreme Islam enforced
Bin Laden’s “nadir”
One of his important leaders in al- Qaeda dies, Abu Ubaydah
He was poor
Compared himself to the prophet when forced to make the hijira to Medina in 622 C.E.
Key symbol of hijira was his cave in Tora Bora
August 23, 1996
Bin Laden issued his “Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places”

7. Khaled Sheik Mohammed Who he is In Afghanistan
Uncle of Ramzi Yousef, on the run
Secretary for Sayyaf and Abdullah Azzam
Had planned with Ramzi to blow up American jets in the Philippines in Operation Bojinka
In Afghanistan
Teams up with Osama bin Laden
Discusses plans to attack America
Seeds of 9/11 planted

8. Chapter 14: Going Operational
June 25, 1996
CIA/ FBI agents training at Quantico
Attack on Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
FBI sent in team
Saudi’s make investigation difficult
Cautious for legal reasons (Sharia law)
FBI worked out agreement to interview suspects through mirrored glass
Evidence pointed to Iranian-backed terrorists, Americans shut out
O’Neill
In charge of counterterrorism and counterintelligence in NY
1-49 squad responsible for the Middle East
Mainly New Yorkers
Had to solve TWA flight case before team could focus on bin Laden
1st time FBI and CIA worked together on project
CIA part headed by Michael Scheuer
Dan Coleman, FBI agent, assigned to CIA
Had interviewed Jamal al-Fadl
Wanted to stop bin Laden
Finally get a break in Nairobi,
Raid a safe house
Find links to al-Qaeda

9. Chapter 15: Bread and Water
The delegation
Mullah Omar sent a delegation to go and “check out” bin Laden in Tora Bora
Taliban had no quarrel with the United States at this point
Taliban did not want bin Laden attacking their sponsor, Saudi Arabia and wanted him to refrain from speaking to the press.
In return bin Laden endorsed Taliban rule
He immediately broke his promise and allowed for an interview with CNN
Reporter Peter Bergen thought he was ill
He seemed to have no legitimate political plan
He wanted Americans to withdrawal from all Muslim lands
Omar had to move bin Laden from Jalalabad to Kandahar
Created excuse to move bin Laden
Wanted to keep an eye on him
Meanwhile…..
Zawahiri had become a phantom
Sought asylum in Bulgaria
Traveled to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan
Possibly in several European nations
Went to Chechnya, wanted to establish new base for al-Jihad
December 1, 1996 crossed into Russia
Detained by Russians for crossing illegally, didn’t know real identity
Sent out the country
With no income and fleeing support, Zawahiri had to join Osama in Afghanistan
Regroup
Many Egyptians regrouped in Afghanistan
Many lived in bin Laden’s compound
Family life very different
Bin Laden a “different” person

10. Egypt
July 1997
Zawahiri angered that a deal had been brokered in Egypt between the Islamist Group and the Egyptian government
Called the nonviolence initiative
Islamists divided
October 1997
Islamic group wanted to attack Egypt and tourism
November 17,1997
Group attacks Queen Hatsheput’s temple near Luxor
The president’s wife was in attendance
Targeted tourists
Attackers committed suicide in a cave
58 tourists and 4 Egyptians died
Egypt in shock
Turning point in counterterrorist campaign in Egypt