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At Large
Portrait of a Terrorist
Picking up the pieces of OBL’s demise.
“… the characteristic features of terrorism are anonymity
and the violation of established norms.”
--Walter
Laqueur,
Terrorism
(1977)
It wasn’t really a shock. The group — we were only three — had already accepted that Sheikh Osama bin Laden was either dead or far too ill to continue to fight. It was a natural thing. It had been a long time. Ten years. That’s a long time. We knew that there were others to lead. But in a way we felt cheated. Yes, cheated. If we had known he was still alive, well, we would have worked harder. Yes, maybe if we could have, I mean. But now he was really dead.
What to do? It seemed that everyone must be running around. No one would work with us before. We understood. It was all part of security. And, of course, whether we were needed. And we really weren’t that important. When something came up that fit us — they would call on us then. Ali said that. He said it every chance he had.
We weren’t kids anymore. We could meet only on rare occasions — holidays mostly — that was the most secure time. Ali would say, “They’ll call us.” We agreed, Fouad and I. Fouad never said much anyhow. It was far easier just to agree. Certainly they would contact us.
And now? What if they did call us? Would we still have the will? No one really asked that question. But it was there — hidden. Maybe just hidden from ourselves. It’s a terrible question. It’s the same as asking if you have the courage to do the job — the job as a jihadi. The courage would come, in-sha’Allah — if we deserved it.
We had another problem. This one we had to talk about. For several years we had some very good connections. Our original guide, Anwar, had provided us with alternative contacts. At first there were two, but that was reduced to one. Except that we never had contact with Anwar again. I don’t know what happened. It wasn’t right to ask our contact. Anyhow he was just a child — maybe fifteen — really only a courier. But he could carry a message. That’s all that was needed.
It was really too long a time to wait now. We’d had no message from Anwar. Our guidance was different now. It must come from the radio and TV. We should strike out on our own. Don’t wait for the big plan. Independent action. But be careful — do not waste resources. Choose targets with maximum effect. We had to talk about that, too.
Ali had always been the one who favored the grand gesture. He always wanted to destroy the biggest possible symbol. Fouad naturally always agreed with Ali. They were cousins. We had all known each other since school — a long time ago. Ali played midfield for the school football team. Fouad and I weren’t much as players, but we were very good rooters. When the jihad came along we still carried on as we did in school except I became a little more important than before.
I was the one who first met Anwar after Friday prayers. He told me to pick two more true believers and make a cell. Naturally I chose my friends. But now I was the leader, not Ali. I think that was always a problem for Ali and maybe that’s why he always argued for the big action. He wanted that prize, the prize of doing the most for the cause. I’ve always been for the more considered act, small or large. It seems the prudent way.
We had collected all the necessary implements for whatever we were called on to do. It hadn’t been that difficult. We would construct a detonator by connecting a car battery to an explosive package we put together with fertilizer just the way it was explained on TV. Ali said we all could ride together in an auto we would steal. How we would do that we hadn’t yet worked out. In any case it would be a true martyr’s death for all of us.
The obvious target choice was the large international hotel. It was either that or a foreign bank. Just drive up to the front door and that was that. Ali liked the hotel and I liked the bank. Either would work, but we still had to talk some more about it. This was the sort of thing we needed Anwar for — somebody who had experience.
It was all well and good to say we should be independent and strike out at the infidels, but it’s much harder than you think to actually do it. We really needed to talk about our plan more — to get it right. At our last meeting Fouad had said he had a big problem. He had met a girl. At least that’s what he said. I reminded him of our priorities. I’m not sure he fully understood.
In the end we never really got mad at Ali. Neither Fouad nor I actually saw him again except for the trial. They tried to disguise him with a hood, but we knew who he was. Ali just couldn’t stand not being the big guy. The police most likely had been encouraging him along that line all the way. Perhaps it was all for the good. I never was too sure about stealing that automobile.
It’s not too bad in prison if you’re a convicted terrorist — even if you never really did anything. And there we (Fouad and me) have a lot of people to talk to about how to do things and when to do it when we get out. Too bad about Fouad’s girl. He says he never got a chance to ask her to wait for him.
About the Author
George H. Wittman writes a weekly column on international affairs for The American Spectator online. He was the founding chairman of the National Institute for Public Policy.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (20) | Leave a comment
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Dee See| 5.20.11 @ 6:30AM
---Great piece!
NOW onto the matter of the American people
being terrorized by a pervasive police state grid
of pornographic transparency ----even as the borders,
currency and pensions crumble,
30 MILLION illegals roam the landscape
untouched, and are serviced at taxpayer expense
---while the exploiters are 'on board' for
absolutely bottomless globalist RED China
economic sellout, set up and TREASON...
Val| 5.20.11 @ 6:34AM
Mr. Wittman, you may have had some insight to offer readers; however, your extreme use of pronouns completely obscures any meaningful message. Please, proofread your article and count the numerous, vague pronouns.
MAJ Mike| 5.20.11 @ 7:28AM
Wasted my time working my way through that crappy essay.
Bob K.| 5.20.11 @ 9:05AM
It's not an essay. It is a fiction treatment of the workings of a terrorist's mind. His plan did not work in this case. A similar plan designed for other reasons by other terrorists who were not fiction characters did work in the Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma.
Ken (Old Texican)| 5.20.11 @ 12:24PM
Folks this was the silliest article I have ever read here at TAS.
simon templar| 5.20.11 @ 2:13PM
Not as bad as Johnny G's, "The Prime Minister of Israel was a Bad Boy and disagreed with our Supreme Leader!"
Occam's Tool| 5.20.11 @ 6:28PM
I thought it was going to be about Bill Ayers and Pastor Wright.
RAMIII| 5.20.11 @ 3:56PM
??? I thought the author of this article had plagiarized something from a Vince Flynn novel. ??? I guess I'm missing the point. Sorry :(
Occam's Tool| 5.20.11 @ 6:29PM
George,
if you're going to do subtle and shocking, take more space. Or re-read Roald Dahl.
Occam's Tool| 5.20.11 @ 7:50PM
Now, a preview of a short story I'm working on:
********************************************
Moshe lifted the binoculars to his eyes. Through the shimmering heat off of the protective fence, he saw a mass of Palestinians approaching, anger contorting their faces. Zooming in on the lead, he saw something...odd.
"David, you've got to get up here and take a look at this---mass crowd approaching!"
David Gross didn't scare easily, and had nothing but contempt for the Pat Buchanan approved Palestinian tactics of attacking 3 month old little girls. Even outnimbered 200 to 1, armed IDF troopers were going to kick tail in a heads up fight with undisciplined terrorist rabble. So, he started moving up but he was unconcerned as he answered:
"OK, but why should this night be different from any other night?"
"I think they're Zombies!"
"And this makes them different from the usual blood-thirsty, disemboweling, child head removing run of the mill in what way? Are they holding up Ron Paul 2012 signs?"
*****************************************
Somehow, I think this gives a better portrait of the interior of a terrorist's mind than Mr. Wittman's piece.
Occam's Tool| 5.20.11 @ 7:51PM
Sorry, "outnumbered"
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Dee See| 5.21.11 @ 10:34PM
"We are using MASSIVE third world
(largely muslim) immigration to destroy
British culture once and for all ---forever."
-TONY BLAIR
(Daily Mail cited by Alan Watt)
------AGAIN, keeping the key info before us.
C Smith| 5.22.11 @ 9:01AM
For a almost a decade the world has been asking: "Where is Osama"? Now the world is asking every other question but "Where is Osama now"?
Under our feet this very moment is a subterranean world. The Hebrew Scriptures refer to it as the pit, the abyss, the nether parts of the earth, Abaddon.... No, it is not Hell. Hell is not yet. The Judgment must come first. The name of this present shadow land is called Sheol. And within it a place reserved for those who "caused terror in the land of the living."
"Asshur is there and all her company... all of them slain, fallen by the sword... which caused terror in the land of the living" (Ezekiel 32:22-23).
"There is Elam and all her multitude... fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living" (Ezekiel 32:24).
There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude... they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen... which are gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living" (Ezekiel 32:26-27).
There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit" (Ezekiel 32:29).
"There be the princes of the north... with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword...." (Ezekiel 32:30).
"Sheol from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee" (Isaiah 14:9-11).
http://theisraelofgod.blogspot.....-dead.html
Robert Amaya| 5.23.11 @ 3:11AM
Americans say that all the time and kids in my school tease me about these stuff. I think they need to know who they are first and respect others.
http://www.healthproductreview.....eview.html
weddingdresses | 6.24.11 @ 2:07AM
"We are using MASSIVE third world
(largely muslim) immigration to destroy
British culture once and for all ---forever."
-TONY BLAIR
(Daily Mail cited by Alan Watt)
------AGAIN, keeping the key info before us.