The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism [Hardcover]

Simon Reeve (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 1999

The first book on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, this New York Times bestseller warns of a new age of apocalyptic terrorism. According to ‘The New Jackals’ a group of several thousand men who fought against the Soviets during the 1980s Afghan War have since dominated international terrorism. Author Simon Reeve warns that many of these men, known as the ‘Afghan Arabs’, have become a new breed of terrorist, militants with no restrictions on mass killing. Reeve spent years investigating the two most dangerous ‘Afghan Arabs’: Osama bin Laden, currently the most wanted man in the world, and Ramzi Yousef, the young British-educated mastermind of the massive bombing of the World Trade Center bombing (WTC) in 1993. Yousef’s attack resulted in more hospital casualties than any event in American history since the Civil War. He is described by experts as a modern ‘Carlos the Jackal’ because of his astonishing crimes. The New Jackals is a true-life investigative thriller, with details of a tense two-year manhunt told through interviews with a senior FBI agent, but it also includes a series of major revelations. For example the book offers the first real insight into bin Laden’s early years. The New Jackals also reveals that in the 1993 WTC attack Ramzi Yousef wanted to topple one tower of the building into the other (killing perhaps 250,000 people) with a massive radioactive bomb that would have forced the evacuation of much of New York. The author details how Yousef detonated a bomb on a plane over Japan, planned to kill the Pope and President Clinton, blew-up an Iranian shrine, plotted to attack CIA headquarters with chemical weapons, and was stopped just days before he was due to simultaneously destroy 11 airliners over the Pacific. The New Jackals sheds new light on Yousef and bin Laden, describing them as the first of a new breed of terrorist, and reveals how they have been responsible for some of the bloodiest and most audacious acts of terrorism in history. Highly detailed and yet immensely readable, The New Jackals is one of the most prophetic books of the last decade. It is essential reading for anyone seeking insights into the new breed of terrorist behind the devastating strikes on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. A new epilogue by author Simon Reeve assesses the current status of the sinister al Qaeda network and warns the West remains vulnerable to further apocalyptic attacks.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, the United States assisted in training the rebels fighting the Soviets. Little did it know that it was thereby paving the way for future terrorism. Reeve, an investigative journalist and freelance writer, explains how two men who eventually benefited from this military training have terrorized the world during the past decade. He argues that Ramzi Yousef, who masterminded the bombing of the World Trade Center, acted from a mixture of political and religious motives and shows that he was captured only through the hard work (and a little luck) of the FBI and other intelligence agencies around the world. Reeve also provides a better understanding of Osama bin Laden, who funds the terrorism movement (he is from an extremely wealthy family) and was responsible for the double U.S. Embassy bombing in Africa in 1998. Reeve argues that even if bin Laden were captured, someone else will take his place: "It is no longer a question of if terrorists will successfully use a weapon of mass destruction, but when." This ought to bring chills to your spine. Well written and researched, this belongs in public libraries.AMichael Sawyer, Northwestern Regional Lib., Elkin, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

The New Jackals was published in Britain and the United States in 1998 and 1999. It has since been published, translated and distributed in countries ranging from Holland to China, and Australia to South Korea. The book has been described as Essential or Recommended Reading by scores of newspapers, magazines, government officials and academics around the world. Recommended by Newsweek magazine Recommended by Time magazine Recommended by US News & World Report Recommended by the Center of International Studies at Princeton University Recommended by Encyclopaedia Britannica Recommended as ‘Essential Reading’ by Steven Mintz, Professor of History at the University of Houston Recommended by The Journal of Homeland Security Recommended by Rick Shenkman, editor of History News Network Recommended by William H. Parrish, U.S. Customs Director of Anti-Terrorism Recommended by Salon.com Recommended by Jack Fischel, Chairman, History Department, Millersville University Recommended by American Library Association Recommended by Bookviews Recommended by Craig L. Fuller, former Chief of Staff to Vice President George Bush Recommended by Robert Burrowes, adjunct professor, Jackson School at the University of Washington

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Northeastern (October 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555534074
• ISBN-13: 978-1555534073
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,310,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent investigation of our public enemy number 1, November 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism (Hardcover)

I find it astonishing that this is the first good book to comeout on Osama bin Laden and Ramzi Yousef.

President Clinton hasidentified bin Laden as America's number one terrorist threat, and yet nobody in the so-called 'serious media' has really bothered to investigate the guy. Thankfully we now have this excellent book, which gets behind the headlines and explains bin Laden's motivation and anger. I found the details of his early years fascinating, especially since the US media have conspicuously failed to explain why he keeps bombing (or trying to bomb) American embassies and kill US servicemen and women around the world.

More than half the book is about Ramzi Yousef, who the author describes as the first soldier bin Laden sent against the West. I found the details of Yousef's crimes absolutely astonishing - if there was a terrorist league table, then Yousef would surely be at number one.

Excellent book. I recommend it to anyone interested in international affairs. I hope the President will read it to understand why people like bin Laden are so angry with the USA (what can we expect if we support undemocratic regimes like the Saudi government).

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Reading, September 14, 2001

By 

Book Maniac "Book Maniac" (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism (Hardcover)

This well written and informative book focuses in detail on the terrorist and military threats that the United States faces from people like Osama bin Laden. I thought the book was very good at discussing America's vulnerability to terrorism. What you do NOT get in this book is any kind of biography of Osama bin Laden himself or a sense of the goals and "mindset" of his oganization. This is essentially a technical terrorism book written for the layperson. For a book on the transnational Muslim fundamentalist movement itself which is causing so much heartbreak and devastation right now, I HEARTILY recommend Anthony J. Dennis's book "The Rise of the Islamic Empire and the Threat to the West" (also available through amazon.com) which eerily predicted and warned against the very events we are witnessing now. Both books are excellent and, together, make for complete reading of the issues in the headlines today.

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting and Eerie, September 12, 2001

By 

Tim Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism (Hardcover)

...I have read this book before but the second reading is far more meaningful,educational, and insightful. It helps to explain the mentality of the "New Jackals, poisoned by political hatred and religious fervor... who have no qualms about mass killing." It clearly describes the initial bombing of the World Trade Center and the disappointment of Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind and predecessor to Osami bin Laden, who had originally expected at least one of the towers to fall into the other and kill 250,000 people. After describing the investigation and manhunt to capture Yousef, author Simon Reeve traces the origins of this extreme and very real terrorism. He gives an enlightening background study of bin Laden that helps the reader understand the intelligence, resources, and deadly intent of this Afghan Arab who has been responsible for the terrorist war against the West that has now reached massive proportions. If it doesn't do anything else, this haunting and eerie warning should drive home to all who read it the serious reality that lies before us. It should certainly strenghthen our resolve to stand together and fight for the freedom we often take for granted.