Joby Warrick - The Triple Agent

5. attempted to distill his advice: Author interview with former senior CIA official.

Chapter 3: The Doctor

1. The raiding party gathered: Details of Humam al-Balawi’s arrest, detention, and interrogation were provided in author interviews with two family members present during the relevant events; three current Jordanian intelligence officers and one former intelligence officer who were present during the events or were given detailed briefings; and a senior CIA officer who was similarly briefed. Additional details were drawn from Balawi’s videotaped statements about his arrests, as provided to the author by SITE Intelligence Group, a private group that monitors Web sites associated with extremist groups and provides analysis to government agencies, news organizations, and other customers on a restricted-access basis.

2. “Your handcuffs will be as silver bracelets”: English excerpts from Balawi’s Internet blogs as Abu Dujana al-Khorasani were provided, along with analysis, by Jarret Brachman, a terrorism expert, author, and government consultant.

3. He was also an instant hit: For analysis of Balawi’s impact as jihadist blogger, see Brachman’s monograph “Abu Dujana al-Khorasani,” in publication.

4. Defne, began to worry: Insight into Balawi family dynamics is provided in press interviews by Defne Bayrak, including her February 5, 2010, interview with al-Jazeera Television’s Today’s Interview program. English translation courtesy of SITE Intelligence Group. Additional corroboration provided in author interviews with two of Defne Bayrak’s journalist colleagues in Istanbul, Turkey.

5. Abu Dujana was a seventh-century Arab warrior: For more on Balawi’s namesake, see “Abu Dujana, Stories of the Sahaba,” as reprinted in http://www.articlesbase.​com/​spirituality​-articles/abu​-dujana-stories​-of-the-sahaba​-1532056.html.

6. Code-named Turbulence, it is a five-hundred-million-dollar-a-year network: For an authoritative account of the NSA’s secret data-collection network, see James Bamford, The Shadow Factory (New York: Anchor Books, 2008).

7. he was known among his peers as Sharif Ali: Biographical details about Ali bin Zeid and his interaction with the Balawi case were shared with the author in interviews with three bin Zeid family members and two of his Mukhabarat colleagues.

8. “He wasn’t flirty like some of the others”: Author interview with former patient of Balawi’s, Marka refugee camp, Amman, Jordan.

9. so closely reflected Zawahiri’s own views: Author interview with Jarret Brachman.

10. coordinated attacks on hotels in Amman: For details on the Amman hotel bombings, see Hassan Fattah and Michael Slackman, “Hotels Bombed in Jordan; at Least 57 Die,” New York Times , Nov. 10, 2005.

11. Zarqawi, who had spent five years as the Mukhabarat’s prisoner: For more on Zarqawi’s radicalization and later exploits, see Lee Hudson Teslik, “Profile: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,” Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder, “Profile: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,” CFR online, June 8, 2006.

Chapter 4: Humiliation

1. He was in a small cell: In addition to the primary sources on Balawi’s interrogation as described in Chapter 2 notes, further insights into the Mukhabarat’s detention facility and procedures were provided in author interviews with two former Mukhabarat officers and an Amman jihadist who related his personal experiences in repeated incarcerations and interrogations.

2. Balawi remembered his dream: Balawi describes his dream while in Mukhabarat custody in a Dec. 26, 2009, videotaped interview obtained by SITE Intelligence Group. English translation courtesy of SITE.

3. On the third day of Humam al-Balawi’s incarceration: Circumstances of Balawi’s release described in author interviews with two Balawi family members in Amman, Jordan.

Chapter 5: The Informant

1. The report bore an Arabic caption: Report described to the author in interviews with a Jordanian and a U.S. intelligence officer who reviewed its contents.

2. with a known terrorist organization in Turkey: The Balawis’ interaction with the IBAD-C was described to the author by two of Defne Bayrak’s colleagues, who were aware of the couple’s contacts with the organization at the time. For more on the group, see http://www.globalsecurity.org​/military/​world/para/​eastern-raiders​.htm.

3. “I liked his personality”: Defne Bayrak interview with al-Jazeera, Feb. 5, 2010, op. cit.

4. peculiar to privileged young adults: For more on this phenomenon, see Delia Lloyd, “Smart Bombers: Do Universities Breed Terrorists?” Politics Daily , Jan. 2010, http://www.politicsdaily.com​/2010/01/19/​smart-bombers-do-​universities-​breed-​terrorists/.

5. The couple named their older girl: Author interview with a Balawi family friend, Istanbul, Turkey.

6. a promise to redraw the country’s counterterrorism priorities: For an insider’s view of the administration’s early priorities, see speech by White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, “A New Approach to Safeguarding Americans,” Aug. 6, 2009, before the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as published on the White House’s Web site, WhiteHouse.gov., http://www.whitehouse.gov​/the_press_office​/Remarks-by-​John-Brennan-​at-the-​Center-for-Strategic​-and-International​-Studies.

7. Balawi was gradually checking out of his old life: Details about Balawi’s activities in his final weeks in Amman were described in author interviews with two family members and a colleague at the Marka clinic.

8. bin Zeid tucked a case of dog food under his arm: Balawi describes his meetings and discussions with bin Zeid in his Dec. 26, 2009, interview, SITE, op. cit.

9. I think we should talk to our father about this : Airport departure described in author interviews with two Balawi family members.

Chapter 6: Targets

1. Nuclear devices: This unreported event was described in author interviews with two senior intelligence officials and a separate interview with one Obama administration official, all of whom were actively involved in the response to the threat.

2. “Are you sure this was the right choice?”: Author interview with a U.S. official present during the White House exchange about Panetta’s candidacy.

3. Panetta’s stance on the so-called torture memos: Peter Finn and Joby Warrick, “Under Panetta, a More Aggressive CIA,” Washington Post , March 21, 2010.

4. change a missile’s trajectory in midflight: Capabilities of advanced munitions used by Predators described in author interviews with two current and one former senior intelligence official.

5. inadvertently killed nine people: Ibid. For alternative views on civilian casualties, see Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann, “Revenge of the Drone,” New America Foundation, Oct. 19, 2009, http://www.newamerica.net/​files/appendix1​.pdf.

6. “I don’t take it lightly”: Account of Panetta’s personal views and experiences described in interviews with three senior intelligence officials and an Obama administration official who participated in conversations in which the matters were discussed.

7. that group included Hanson: Hanson’s work duties, personality, and character described in multiple author interviews with five former agency colleagues and two family members.

8. the top items on the agenda were Mehsud: New details about National Security Adviser James L. Jones’s trip to Pakistan described in author interviews with two senior intelligence officials involved in preparatory meetings for the visit.