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Trevor Aaronson
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The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Manufactured War on Terrorism Hardcover – January 15, 2013

by Trevor Aaronson (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 80 ratings
A groundbreaking work of investigative journalism, The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Manufactured War on Terrorism exposes how the FBI has, under the guise of engaging in counterterrorism since 9/11, built a network of more than 15,000 informants whose primary purpose is to infiltrate Muslim communities to create and facilitate phony terrorist plots so that the Bureau can then claim it is winning the war on terror.

An outgrowth of Trevor Aaronson's work as an investigative reporting fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, which culminated in an award-winning cover story in Mother Jones magazine, The Terror Factory reveals shocking information about the criminals, con men, and liars the FBI uses as paid informants--including the story of an accused murderer who has become one of the Bureau's most prolific terrorism snitches--as well as documenting the extreme methods the FBI uses to ensnare Muslims in terrorist plots, which are in reality conceived and financed by the FBI.

The book also offers unprecedented detail into how the FBI has transformed from a reactive law enforcement agency to a proactive counterterrorism organization that traps hapless individuals in manufactured terrorist plots in order to justify the $3 billion it spends every year fighting terrorism.
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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ig Publishing
  4. Publication date
    January 15, 2013
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1935439618
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1935439615
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Compelling, shocking, and gritty with intrigue."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A real eye-opener that questions how well the country's security is being protected."-Kirkus Reviews

"This is investigative reporting at its best. For the first time, a documented investigation into the domestic terrorism program is available to the general public. And the story this dogged reporter tells has been garnering growing attention. Is it possible that we have in fact created the very threat we fear? Are we in danger of destroying the fabric of our freedom in our panic to preserve it? Read Aaronson's ground breaking report and make up your own mind."-Lowell Bergman, Pulitzer Prize-winning Professor of Investigative Reporting

"Aaronson explains just how misguided and often deceptive FBI terrorism sting operations have become. In case after case, he demonstrates how the money being spent is more about producing theater than about federal agents arresting suspected terrorists."-James J. Wedick, former FBI Supervisory Agent

"A disturbing window into America's war on terror. In story after story, Aaronson reveals in detail how the FBI and its informants are creating crime rather than solving it. This is an important piece of journalism."--Alexandra Natapoff, author, Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice

About the Author

Trevor Aaronson is an accomplished investigative journalist. He has written about the FBI for Mother Jones magazine and produced a documentary about informants for Al Jazeera Media Network. A two-time finalist for the Livingston Awards, Aaronson has won the Molly National Journalism Prize, the international Data Journalism Award and the John Jay College/Harry Frank Guggenheim Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting Award.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ig Publishing
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 15, 2013
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1935439618
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1935439615
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 80 ratings

About the author

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Trevor Aaronson

Trevor Aaronson

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Trevor Aaronson is the author of The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism. He is also the creator and host of the podcast series "Alphabet Boys" and the Audible Originals "Into the Madness," "Pulse: The Untold Story," "Hold Fast," and "American ISIS."

Contact: trevoraaronson dot com

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4.4 out of 5 stars
80 global ratings

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Customers find the book well written and appreciate its solid investigative research and excellent analysis.

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8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well written and easy to read.

"...Although the details are still worth reading -- and Aaronson makes it an easy read -- better informed readers will find a familiar tale fully..." Read more

"...in how our government is fighting the war on terror this is essential reading...." Read more

"Very well written, but it's frustrating to see how the public has been fooled by the manufactured wars in the Middle East, and how much we've been..." Read more

"Interesting book, however, the author must be an idiot to have not connected the dots of 911 and prior...." Read more

6 customers mention "Research quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's solid investigative research and excellent analysis, with one customer highlighting its detailed examination of current FBI policy.

"...Although the details are still worth reading -- and Aaronson makes it an easy read -- better informed readers will find a familiar tale fully..." Read more

"The book is a well researched expose of what has gone wrong with the fbi. They are now manufacturing crime so they can arrest "terrorists"...." Read more

"An excellent analysis of what is actually being done versus what they want us to believe they are doing to detect and deter terrorism in the US." Read more

"A good investigative work." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Ayman
    5.0 out of 5 stars FBI is a threat like child predators
    Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2014
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Trevor Aaronson's The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Manufactured war on Terrorism gathers disparate news stories into one narrative: the frequency of "terrorism" convictions in the United States in the years following 2001 is neither a measure of the threat terrorism poses to public safety nor the effectiveness of the federal government in protecting United States residents.

    Aaronson compiled a database, accessible online [...], of the characteristics of "terrorism" cases as identified by the United States Department of Justice. A frequent characteristic is the appearance of one or more confidential informants, and often these shadowy figures do more to further the crime than the convicted felons ever did. Through scrutiny of court documents and interviews with persons involved in the cases, Aaronson makes the following claims:

    1. The vast majority of the convicted terrorists were no danger to the public.
    2. The informants who are chiefly responsible for the convictions are themselves often criminals who have harmed public safety, even while they are on the payroll.
    3. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) uses coercive tactics to recruit large numbers of Muslims into spying on their co-religionists and punishes those who refuse to do so.
    4. The FBI may be violating terrorism suspsects' rights by tolerating illegal behavior of informants during investigations and failing to record or destroying recordings of conversations which would exonerate the suspects.
    5. The focus on "Islamic" terrorism leads to less effective law enforcement in other areas, such as financial crimes [link to Frontline program on insider trading] and other ideological terrorism.
    6. The FBI has a financial incentive to continue to use confidential informants to produce terrorism convictions. A steady stream of such convictions helps it justify its increasing budget to Congress.

    The Department of Justice has scheduled a Hate Crime Prevention Forum in Augusta, GA. It has been canceled twice, the first time because of the Federal government shutdown and the second because of inclement weather. I propose that a major cause of hate crime against Muslims and those thought to be Muslim is the regular announcements from the FBI of thwarting of terrible Muslim terrorists. Muslims around the USA have called for reevaluation of cooperation with their local FBI offices, and I believe it is important for all board members of Muslim organizations to read this book to better prepare them for government spying. Moreover, it behooves Muslim organizations to organize programs to warn their members of FBI tactics the same way we educate children to avoid sexual predators.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Victor M. Trinidad
    5.0 out of 5 stars THE FBI ARE THE TERRORIST
    Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2013
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    If you want to know what really happened in Boston and who carried the crime, look no further than Trevor Aaronson's book, "The Terror Factory." America, please pull your head out of your rear end. What happened in Boston was nothing more than another false flag terrorist act orchestrated by our FBI. I was at Dulles Int'l Airport last week in transit to San Francisco when I first heard the news. I realized that what was being reported on was carried out by the FBI when the reporter stated that shortly after the two blasts, the FBI found another two bombs that had not exploded. Of course the FBI found those bombs, after all, they planted them there. Like 9/11 and other terrorist acts that followed, our mainstream news media goes out of their way to sensationalize the event and to provide the listening public with misinformation, distorted facts and outright lies. If you don't believe me, simply take the time, like I have, to read the groundbreaking work of investigative journalism by Trevor Aaronson in his recent book "The Terror Factory - Inside the FBI's Manufactured War on Terrorism". I also strongly recommend the following books: Christopher Bollyn's book "Solving 9/11: The Deception That Changed the World"; Former CIA Asset Susan Lindauer's book "Extreme Prejudice"; and, David Ray Griffin's recent book (he has written ten books about 9/11) "9/11 Ten Years Later: When State Crimes Against Democracy Succeed." Said books should be mandatory reading for all Americans.
    20 people found this helpful
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  • J
    4.0 out of 5 stars Further investigation needed
    Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The basic premise of Aaronson's book is that the FBI needs to create business to stay in business, and they seem to have become very successful in doing so. Had I read this within 5 years of 9/11/2001, I would have said "BS!" However, in 2013, I'd have to agree with the the basic premise. If these allegations are true, further investigation is certainly needed. Taxpayers are owed that much.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Daniel A. Montgomery
    5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Investigative Research
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2017
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    It used to be illegal for the FBI to investigate anyone without credible information for believing the target was involved in a crime. Since 9/11, they investigate perceived threats. The lone wolf theory of terrorist profiles is popular in law enforcement. By catching a lone wolf before he meets a real terrorist, they are removing a dangerous suspect from the streets before he strikes. Some people believe that innocent young men are being "brainwashed" into being entrapped by FBI sting operations. Is the lone wolf theory really just an outlet for acting out hidden prejudices backed by misguided mental health profiles? The author discovered a pattern of what appears to be a wrongful suppression of evidence. The FBI makes recordings of meetings between the undercover informant and the target. There are too many times when the Bureau just happens to fail to make a recording when it would have shown that the defendant was induced, entrapped, or thinking of backing out. Entrapment defenses seldom persuade juries anyway and certainly not in a terrorist case.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • pawNz
    5.0 out of 5 stars good book- highly recommend
    Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2013
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    great book-easy read highly recommend- about a relevant and intresting post 9/11 topic... buy it read it buy it read it
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