Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Attack The World Has Ever Seen [Hardcover]

Yosri Fouda (Author), Nick Fielding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2003

The story behind the headlines: here is the exclusive account--based on the only media interview ever given by the September 11 masterminds--of how Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi bin al-Shibh plotted al-Qaeda's attacks on America.

The capture days ago of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a key lieutenant to bin Laden and one of the chief planners of the September 11 terrorist attacks, created headlines around the world. Now he is in US custody in a secret location, along with his accomplice, Ramzi bin al-Shibh. Based on the only interview these masterminds of terror ever gave to the media as well as extensive follow-up research, this book may be the closest we will get to the full inside story of the plot. While Mohammed and bin-al-Shibh were among the world's most wanted men and hiding in a safe house in Pakistan, they summoned star al-Jazeera TV reporter Yosri Fouda for a one-of-a-kind exclusive. Fouda knew he might well be walking into a trap, as Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl had done only months before. But he took the risk, and hit pay dirt. For 48 hours, Fouda listened as Mohammed, head of al-Qaeda's military committee, and bin al-Shibh, the link between Mohammed Atta and the senior al-Qaeda leadership, proudly claimed responsibility for the attacks on New York and the Pentagon--the first time al-Qaeda took direct responsibility--and detailed exactly how the plot was conceived and executed . Among their many revelations: the intended target of United Airlines Flight 93; the code names used by the hijackers; documents and souvenirs from Atta's Hamburg apartment; e-mail communications between Atta and bin al-Shibh, and the role both chief conspirators played in the slaying of Daniel Pearl. When Yosri Fouda broadcast part of this information on his monthly news show Top Secret on al-Jazeera, he created a sensation. Now here is the full account.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nick Fielding is a senior reporter with the London Sunday Times. Yosri Fouda is the top investigative reporter with the Arab TV channel al-Jazeera. Both are based in London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing; 1 edition (May 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559707089
• ISBN-13: 978-1559707084
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #663,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique and fascinating addition to the books on Al Qaeda, July 27, 2003

By 

John Morgan (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Attack The World Has Ever Seen (Hardcover)

Having read much of the literature in English pertaining to the nature and activities of Al Qaeda, I can say that this is one of the few books on the subject worth reading, not only because of the exclusive information available to its authors but also as a result of the unique perspective from which it is written. The book's primary author is Yosri Fouda, a journalist with the Arabic Al Jazeera TV network who was given a unique invitation in April 2002 to spend a weekend interviewing the two men who plotted the September 11 attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh. The two had decided that the time had come for them to take credit for what they had done in order to clear up any remaining doubts about their capabilities (the Western world being largely convinced of their responsibility by this point anyway), and in the hope of inspiring others in the Muslim world to follow their example.

The book consists of two elements. The first is the story of how Fouda secretly arranged to meet with the two men in Pakistan, the meeting itself, and his subsequent struggles to acquire the recordings of his interviews, having been forced to leave them in the hands of Al Qaeda for several months to allow them to edit the tapes for security purposes. The second is the details about some of the lesser-known figures of Al Qaeda, including background on the two men Fouda interviewed, and others such as Omar Sheikh, who was responsible for the kidnapping and death of Daniel Pearl. There is also new information on the activities of the Sept. 11 hijackers in the years leading up to the attacks, and an interesting look at the complex connections between Al Qaeda and the Pakistani intelligence service. Most of this is based on many exclusive interviews conducted by Fouda himself. And of course there are the facts gleaned from Fouda's weekend with Binalshibh and Mohammed, in which the two men presented many of the operational details behind their preparations for the attacks. As appendices there are two translated documents issued by Al Qaeda itself which attempt to explain the reasoning they used to justify the attacks, both of which offer a unique insight into the beliefs of the group.

But apart from the new factual information it presents, I also found the book interesting because it is the only book on Al Qaeda that I'm aware of that has been written by someone who is both an Arab and a Muslim. As such, Fouda has some interesting insights into his subjects. For instance, he discusses the differences between the form of Islam upheld by the members of Al Qaeda (which he describes as "almost heretical"), and the Islam practiced by ordinary Muslims. He discusses their obsession with the Islamic world as it existed in the time of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), and their view of themselves as virtual reincarnations of ancient Islamic warriors who are fighting to bring the modern Islamic world as a whole back to the conditions of the Seventh Century. Fouda also evaluates his subjects both as men and as Muslims, describing how Khalid Shaikh Mohammed betrayed his lack of knowledge of Islam during his interview, and how all of the Al Qaeda men he encountered were convinced that the many violations of Islamic law they committed in his presence were justified because of the struggle they were engaged in. Having spent an entire weekend in their company and having gained their trust, Fouda is also the only author to describe what these terrorists are like in their everyday lives, being the only Arab journalist to meet with Al Qaeda leaders and then report on his experiences to the English-speaking world.

Considering how much has been published about Al Qaeda recently, there is surprisingly little repetition in this book (although of necessity there is a certain amount) - bin Laden, for example, is only occasionally mentioned, the authors assuming that readers will already be familiar with the known facts about him. It does show signs of having been hastily written, and often repeats itself, but such is to be expected given the speed of the book's publication. I recommend it as an excellent follow-up to the other good books on Al Qaeda: Bergen's "Holy War, Inc." (about bin Laden), Gunaratna's "Inside Al Qaeda" (about the organizational nature of the group), and Miller and Stone's "The Cell" (about the activities of Islamic terrorists on American soil leading up to Sept. 11). The latter book in particular provides much information on Al Qaeda figures and events which are also mentioned in this book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read the appendices, April 30, 2006

By 

J. France "lyonizer" (Lakewood, Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Attack The World Has Ever Seen (Hardcover)

This is a fine piece of journalism. There is more here than the "scoop" of Ramzi Binalshibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed taking credit for 9/11. There is a lot of fascinating stuff about ISI (Pakistani intelligence) playing both sides of the street. In particular, the book spells out the relationship between ISI and Omar Sheikh, who spilled the beans on ISI's funding of an al-Qaeda satellite group. This is the story Daniel Pearl was working on. The editor of Karachi's leading paper was forced to flee the country after he published Omar Sheikh's story.

And, do not forget to read the second appendix - a statement by al Qaeda, dating from somewhere between mid-September 2001 and April 2002. A diatribe against the U.S. ends with an appeal to Allah: "We ask Him to chastise their state, make the earth quake under their feet, defeat them, and..."

Though we have suffered devastating hurricanes (gleefully welcomed by Pat Robertson) and tornadoes roaring across Christian County, Kentucky, the earth really quaked under their feet in northern Pakistan. The Tsunami, of course, chastised the Islamic fundamentalists in Aceh. Perhaps God is trying to tell us he wants a secular world? After all, he sent Jesus to us with an appeal for a separation between Church and State. Remember, "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, render unto God that which is God's."

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In reply to the 2nd posting, November 16, 2005

By 

Mr. A. Howell (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Terrorist Attack the World Has Ever Seen (Paperback)

I have a copy of this book which I bought last year and I am not looking to sell. By sheer conincidence, a lecturer on my journalism course at University managed to lure Yosri Fouda to a speak at a guest lecture in England in December 2004. I was lucky enough to meet Fouda and have my copy signed by him.

Sitting through that enthralling lecture, you would see that Fouda is an intelligent, unobjective individual. He was quick to emphasize keenly that night how much he loved America and how much his friends loved America too. I just wish to say, I personally have nothing against American citizens, just the president. In short, I would recommend Noam Chomsky's articles to you, and you will see the whole picture.