The Hunt for KSM
Inside the Pursuit and Takedown of the Real 9-11 Mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
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Narrated by:
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Peter Ganim
About this listen
The definitive account of the decade-long pursuit and capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the terrorist mastermind of 9/11.
Only minutes after United 175 plowed into the World Trade Center's South Tower, people in positions of power correctly suspected who was behind the assault: Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. But it would be 18 months after September 11 before investigators would capture the actual mastermind of the attacks, the man behind bin Laden himself.
That monster is the man who got his hands dirty while Osama fled; the man who was responsible for setting up Al Qaeda's global networks, who personally identified and trained its terrorists, and who personally flew bomb parts on commercial airlines to test their invisibility. That man withstood waterboarding and years of other intense interrogations, not only denying Osama's whereabouts but making a literal game of the proceedings, after leading his pursuers across the globe and back. That man is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and he is still, to this day, the most significant Al Qaeda terrorist in captivity.
In The Hunt for KSM, Terry McDermott and Josh Meyer go deep inside the US government's dogged but flawed pursuit of this elusive and dangerous man. One pair of agents chased him through countless false leads and narrow escapes for five years before 9/11. And now, drawing on a decade of investigative reporting and unprecedented access to hundreds of key sources, many of whom have never spoken publicly - as well as jihadis and members of KSM's family and support network - this is a heart-pounding trip inside the dangerous, classified world of counterterrorism and espionage.
©2012 Terry McDermott and Josh Meyer (P)2012 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Pulitzer Prize winner Mark Mazzetti examines secret wars over the past decade, tracking key characters from the intelligence and military communities across the world. Among the characters we meet in The Way of the Knife are a young CIA officer dropped into the tribal areas to learn the hard way how the spy games in Pakistan are played; an Air Force test pilot who fired the first drone missile in the Nevada desert; and a chain-smoking Pentagon official who ran an off-the-books spying operation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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Excellent critique of covert operations
- By Keefer on 04-27-13
By: Mark Mazzetti
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Manhunt
- The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden - from 9-11 to Abbottabad
- By: Peter L. Bergen
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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From the author of the New York Times best-selling Holy War, Inc., this is the definitive account of the decade-long manhunt for the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden. Al Qaeda expert and CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen paints a multidimensional picture of the hunt for bin Laden over the past decade, including the operation that killed him.
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DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!
- By Betty on 05-04-12
By: Peter L. Bergen
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Kiss the Boys Goodbye
- How the United States Betrayed Its Own POWs in Vietnam
- By: Monica Jensen-Stevenson, William Stevenson
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Kiss the Boys Goodbye convincingly shows that a legacy of shame remains from America’s ill-fated involvement in Vietnam even though that conflict ended over 35 years ago. Until US government policy on POW/MIAs changes, it remains one of the most crucial issues for any American soldier who fights for home and country, particularly when we are engaged with an enemy who doesn't adhere to the international standards for the treatment of prisoners - or any American hostage...
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God Grant Them Peace
- By Gillian on 05-19-15
By: Monica Jensen-Stevenson, and others
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Best of Enemies
- The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War
- By: Gus Russo, Eric Dezenhall
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1978, CIA maverick Jack Platt and KGB agent Gennady Vasilenko were new arrivals on the Washington, D.C., intelligence scene, with Jack working out of the CIA's counterintelligence office and Gennady out of the Soviet Embassy. Both men were assigned to seduce the other into betraying his country in the final days of the Cold War, but instead the men ended up becoming the best of friends. Theirs is a friendship that never should have happened, and their story is chock full of treachery, darkly comic misunderstandings, bureaucratic inanity, and landmark intelligence breakthroughs.
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Really?
- By M.E. on 01-13-19
By: Gus Russo, and others
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The Butcher's Trail
- How the Search for Balkan War Criminals Became the World's Most Successful Manhunt
- By: Julian Borger
- Narrated by: Paul Hodgson
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Written with a thrilling narrative pull, The Butcher's Trail chronicles the pursuit and capture of the Balkan war criminals indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. Borger recounts how Radovan Karadžic and Ratko Mladic - both now on trial in The Hague - were finally tracked down and describes the intrigue behind the arrest of Slobodan Milosevic, the Yugoslav president who became the first head of state to stand before an international tribunal for crimes perpetrated in a time of war.
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The most comprehensive and unbiased account of ICTY’s inception and development to date
- By AR on 04-18-22
By: Julian Borger
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Missing Man
- The American Spy Who Vanished in Iran
- By: Barry Meier
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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In late 2013, Americans were shocked to learn that a former FBI agent turned private investigator who disappeared in Iran in 2007 was there on a mission for the CIA. The missing man, Robert Levinson, appeared in pictures dressed like a Guantánamo prisoner and pleaded in a video for help from the United States.
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Important story
- By Richard F. Callahan on 08-03-16
By: Barry Meier
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Operation Shakespeare
- The True Story of an Elite International Sting
- By: John Shiffman
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In Operation Shakespeare, investigative journalist John Shiffman traces a high-risk undercover operation launched by an elite undercover Homeland Security unit created to stop the Iranians, Russians, Chinese, Pakistanis, and North Koreans from acquiring sophisticated American-made electronics capable of guiding missiles, jamming radar, and triggering countless weapons - from wireless IEDs to nuclear bombs.
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under our noses
- By Andy on 08-20-14
By: John Shiffman
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500 Days
- Secrets and Lies in the Terror Wars
- By: Kurt Eichenwald
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 22 hrs
- Unabridged
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In 500 Days, master chronicler Kurt Eichenwald lays bare the harrowing decisions, deceptions, and delusions of the eighteen months that changed the world forever, as leaders raced to protect their citizens in the wake of 9/11. Eichenwald's gripping, immediate style and true-to-life dialogue puts readers at the heart of these historic events, from the Oval Office to Number 10 Downing Street, from Guantanamo Bay to the depths of CIA headquarters, from the al Qaeda training camps to the torture chambers of Egypt and Syria.
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Gory Details of Torture, Not An Unbiased History
- By Graham on 09-27-12
By: Kurt Eichenwald
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The Skripal Files
- The Life and Near Death of a Russian Spy
- By: Mark Urban
- Narrated by: Mark Urban
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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The Skripal Files is a remarkable and definitive account of Sergei Skripal’s story, which lays bare the new spy war between Russia and the West. Mark Urban, the diplomatic and defense editor for the BBC, met with Skripal in the months before his poisoning, learning about his career in Russian military intelligence, how he became a British agent, his imprisonment in Russia, and the events that led to his release. Skripal’s first-hand accounts and experiences reveal the high stakes of a new spy game that harks back to the chilliest days of the Cold War.
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Facinating story and very relevant
- By Sheri on 06-25-24
By: Mark Urban
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Failures of Imagination
- The Deadliest Threats to Our Homeland - and How to Thwart Them
- By: Michael McCaul
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Congressman and Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Michael McCaul, has spent years in Washington watching the administration turn a blind eye to the most pressing possible threats to the country. Now, in Failures of Imagination, McCaul turns away from the over-sensationalized, unrealistic fears circulated through the media in order to expose the most legitimate and looming national security threats, which have long been swept under the rug by the administration.
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Spot on.
- By Prince Parker on 02-27-16
By: Michael McCaul
What listeners say about The Hunt for KSM
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- Jim
- 01-23-13
Insight Into Murder Networks
Enjoyable and well-researched. The authors interviewed numbers of key players in the U.S. and melded their research into a good, consistent narrative. I was impressed by how fine a job the narrator did handling Arabic names and inflections—kudos to Mr. Ganim. Lots of details on the rivalry and jockeying between CIA and FBI. It's interesting that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was a low-level U.S. terror-buster target for three years, because he was NOT a member of al-Qaeda (despite what other sources state—Wikipedia, for example). The authors write that he didn't join because he wanted to maintain his independence to act. U.S. intelligence knew he was involved in terror but did not gauge how deeply: like a lot of serial murderers, he was both smart and lucky for a long time. KSM wove his own plots and raised much of his own money. He colluded with Bin Laden intermittently over logistic support, additional funds, and finding individuals with needed talents. Both the CIA and FBI were not aware that KSM organized the 9/11 attacks—not Osama Bin Laden, who was more of a central facilitator. Living for a decade below the radar, KSM formed and managed terrorist networks around the globe, constantly plotting attacks upon the West. (The authors write that KSM was behind Richard Reid, "the shoe bomber," in 2001.) References by lower level terrorists to "the leader" and "the fat man" were not linked to him. It was captured major terrorist Abu Zubaydah, one of Bin Laden's key aides, who revealed that "the leader" and Mohammed were one and the same. When finally taken in Pakistan (where else?) the throat-cutter and decapitator of Daniel Pearl was a whopping 5'6" with a high voice. Spend the money for this one if you are interested in the subject. It's worth it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Lynn
- 06-05-12
True Crime Thriller
In The Hunt for KSM, Terry McDermott and Josh Meyer trace the hunt for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. The man behind the international network bringing these attacks to our shores becomes real through their work. Along the way, McDermott and Meyer detail how the hunt unfolded and finally came to conclusion. Painful to read, the authors provide story telling that will keep the reader’s attention, details that will inform the public, and sobering anecdotes that reveal how the trail ran hot and cold. This is a page turner well worth the time. Readers interested in true crime, individuals concerned about terrorism, and citizens seeking to understand how this hunt unfolded will be rewarded for their time. McDermott is the author of Perfect Soldiers and 101 Theory Drive. Meyer formerly covered terrorism for the Los Angeles Times and is a Pulitzer Prize nominee. The reading of Peter Granim is a plus.
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2 people found this helpful
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- DS
- 02-13-13
FINALLY THE TRUTH
This is a very well written and researched book and well read.
My take away is that the Bush White House, by giving the lead on the investigation to the CIA (an intelligence gathering agency) and keeping the FBI (an investigative service) out of the loop really hurt the whole process.
The whole out-sourced "enhanced interrogation techniques" fiasco was worse than a waste of time.
In the end, maybe by accident, terrorism seems to have calmed down and the most important terrorists are either dead or in custody so I guess all's well that end's well.
Bottom line? Worth reading.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Sushanth R
- 02-03-17
The peripheral ghost: KSM
Any additional comments?
This book changes your entire perception of 9/11. While the media and investigating agencies were fixated on UBL prior to 9/11, the real master mind was hard at work. What will surprise you about KSM, is the sheer volume of parallel plots he juggles in his mind all through his peak days.Had to listen to the book twice, back-to-back to fathom all details. The book exposes gaps among security agencies and how it benefited KSM and AQ. There are some fascinating characters such as Pellegrino, Basher, O'Niel, Ali Soufan etc.
Great read. Urge readers to complement this book with Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower.
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- Harrison-Crawford Caver
- 08-21-16
Great non-fiction and expertly narrated
This is one of the books in my library that I can listen to over and over. It's wonderful non-fiction and expertly narrated.
The story of KSM is often overshadowed by other terrorists. His importance in the attacks on 9/11 is explored and explained, in great detail, in this book. It's a story every bit as exciting as any fiction book.
I highly recommend this book!
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- The Senate
- 08-25-21
waste of time
Narrator is awful can't pronounce names correctly.
details are fairly off. listen to the looming tower or black banners instead
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