The Cell: Inside The 9/11 Plot, and Why the FBI and CIA Failed to Stop It [Paperback]

John J. Miller (Author), Michael Stone (Author), Chris Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 14, 2003

In The Cell, John Miller, an award-winning journalist and coanchor of ABC's 20/20, along with veteran reporter Michael Stone and Chris Mitchell, takes readers back more than 10 years to the birth of the terrorist cell that later metastasized into al Qaeda's New York operation. This remarkable book offers a firsthand account of what it is to be a police officer, an FBI agent or a reporter obsessed with a case few people will take seriously. It contains a first-person account of Miller's face-to-face meeting with bin Laden and privides the first full-length treatment to piece together what led up to the events of 9/11, ultimately delivering the disturbing answer to the question: Why, with all the information the intelligence community had, was no one able to stop the 9/11 attacks?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This eye-opening investigation into anti-American terrorist activities would have been even more shocking if information hadn't already started to dribble out about the inadequacies of the FBI and CIA in tracking and preventing such activities. But every page of this information-packed report seems to announce ineffectual actions, missed opportunities and frustrated agents on the ground blocked by the FBI hierarchy, turf battles and political lack of will. Even by the mid-1990s, when al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden were well known to U.S. authorities, strong action wasn't taken because, one State Department official says here, their acts hadn't exceeded an "acceptable level of terrorism." The 1998 African embassy bombings, for instance, could likely have been prevented, according to the authors. The plot is tangled, but through it Miller, Stone and Mitchell follow two threads from 1990 up to September 11, 2001: first, "the cell," actually a series of terrorist cells, beginning with the one responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing a cell that, in one of their most illuminating revelations, the authors trace directly back to El Sayyid Nosair, convicted of murdering Rabbi Meir Kahane in 1990. The second thread is the Joint Terrorist Task Force, an FBI/NYPD squad whose sharp and dedicated members are the heroes of this tale, doggedly investigating the cells and their connections when not blocked by higher-ups. Miller, now coanchor of ABC TV's 20/20, scored an interview in 1998 with bin Laden, whose chilling words he repeats here ("You will leave [Saudi Arabia] when the youth send you in wooden boxes and coffins"). Miller, Stone (a noted criminal investigative journalist) and Mitchell (a senior editor at The Week) connect a lot of dots in this frightening and important book.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

9/11 The accusatory books about how the September 11 attacks could have been prevented are being published at a pace not seen since the assassination of JFK. These three reporters combine their considerable expertise and offer a better insight than most, owing to their familiarity with Islamic terrorist groups and Miller's incredible face-to-face interview with Osama bin Laden. They do well in laying the foundation for placing the blame on FBI and CIA officials, going back as far as the PanAm accident in Lockerbie, Scotland, and up to the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen Harbor. Unfortunately, listening to their account of the myriad leads to who was actually behind the various attacks is often confusing. Perhaps the unabridged version would do a better job of separating the various players with similar sounding names. That aside, the authors do manage to pinpoint moments in time when events might have been different if agencies cooperated, the departments of State and Defense were not always at odds, and the age-old practice of self-preservation were not so prevalent in the U.S. government. Read by Miller, this highly intelligent and challenging book sheds light on what culminated in the worst terrorist attack in history. Recommended for all public library and military collections.
Joseph L. Carlson, Lompoc P.L., CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (May 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786887826
• ISBN-13: 978-0786887828
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #568,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars eye-opening but frightening saga, August 18, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cell: Inside the 9/11 Plot, and Why the FBI and CIA Failed to Stop It (Hardcover)

Up front let me apologize for being emotional in this review, as this true account is appalling in what should have been. The book describes the evolution of the 1990s through 9/11 of Bin Laden and the Al Queda that will haunt readers forever. The authors tie events together that show the magnitude of the failure of anti-terrorism efforts under three administrations including the present one. The authors claim several opportunities to stop the terrorists were available, but not acted on, as the threat had not incredulously surpassed the "acceptable level of terrorism". That is the frightening thought that especially Clinton and Bush II (even in his first year) could have done more and saved lives. Official inactivity and incompetence (the Attorney General cut the anti-terrorism funding) and missed opportunities led to irate agents unable to overcome politics as usual under presidents from both political parties.

This book is not for those still raw, as it is quite an eye-opening saga. As the country's powers debate homeland security and claim the high ground, they should read this book first so they cannot sleep better at night. While the President vacations; the Attorney General cries security wolf; the Congress posters to gain reelection; and Clinton rewrites his place in history, perhaps each will finally understand the real goal: no future American should suffer like those who seemed to have died for no reason except politics and incompetence.

Harriet Klausner

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gritty, Fast Paced, Street-Level Account Of The Events Which Led Up To The 911 Attacks., January 21, 2006

By 

WAYNE YUNGHANS "WORDMAN" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cell: Inside the 9/11 Plot, and Why the FBI and CIA Failed to Stop It (Hardcover)

At the time it was written, the book was a welcome departure from the hurried, slipshod, poorly written works that appeared immediately following 911 (some of them, seemingly written in a bid to benefit from the rising tide of interest engendered by the events of that day...). In any case: this is not one of those books...

This is a well researched and readable account of a complex and multifaceted story.
Not a mere compilation and derivation of others' writings, this story represents the original reporting of three first rate journalists. It arises from first hand interviews / conversations with the NYPD Detectives, FBI Agents and others who were there for the events of 911, some of whom were working the UBL project before that day and several of whom were still working it at the time of writing. It is a testament to the authors' skill that the book flows as well as it does. I found it cogent, interestingly written and informative. It maintained my interest without effort from chapter to chapter as a good detective novel would.

Reading The Cell gives one a good overall understanding of 911 - probably the best available during the period before the 911 Commission Report. I have recommended it to several people and do so via this medium to anyone who looks at 911 and asks the question "How could this happen?" It's an easy, informative read and well worth both the time and money invested.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading, June 28, 2004

By 

H. F. Miglino "bert miglino" (Old Bridge, New jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cell: Inside The 9/11 Plot, and Why the FBI and CIA Failed to Stop It (Paperback)

Just finished reading The Cell. If anyone wants to know what went wrong on 9/11 just read this book. To try and blame one person or organization, except for the terrorists, for the death and destruction on 9/11 would be foolish. If the Towers were brought down in 1993 and toppled over each other, the death count would have been well over 100,000. John Miller, Stone and Mitchell do an incredible story detailing the events leading up to 9/11. I don't know the party affliation with any of these men but the story they present is fascinating. The book is summed up the best on page 332; Terrorism is cyclical, left alone it always comes back, usually bolder and more lethal. Additionally the fight against terrorism can't be conducted from afar, it requires in your face old fashion investigation. No matter how many lasers we have, smart bombs, stealth fighters,etc. what we need is 100 Louie Napoli, Don Sadowy and John O'Neils. Book should be required reading for all high school students, never to forget or let your guard down.