The Looming Tower notes – Flashcards
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Dan Coleman
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FBI Middle Eastern Terrorism Squad
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FBI regarded terrorism as
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a nuisance, not a threat
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1993- FBI first heard of
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Saudi Price who was supporting a cell of radical Islamists who were planning to blow up a NY landmark
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1996- Coleman opens intelligence case on..
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"Islamist Financier" Bin Laden
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Bin Laden in 1996
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declares war on America. Why? Continued U.S. presence in Saudi Arabia
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U.S. lawyers discovered a conspiracy statute from the Civil War which
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forbids instigating violence or attempting to overthrow the U.S. government
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FBI did not think this statute needed to apply to a man in a cave.
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did not
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Jamal al-Fadl
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sudanese informer who stole bin Laden's money. Also spoke to Coleman about Al-Qaeda and who was in it, and what they had done and were planning
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Sayyid Qutb
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writer from Egypt who came to U.S. after fleeing from the Egyptian King.
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Qutb studied at
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Colorado State College of Education in Greeley, Colorado
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Egyptian King?
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King Farouk
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Sayyid Qutb
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saw the West as a singular cultural entity, very different from his Islamic world. Grew to hate Americans, referred to them as "beasts"
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Qutb and many others were angry at the U.S. during this time. Why?
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We were supporting Israel
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The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in ___ by _____.
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1928; Hasan al-Banna
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Qutb was convinced that _____ and ______ were completely incompatible
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islam and modernity
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Because King Farouk could not properly run Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood set out to act in the interest of their people. What did they do?
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created their own hospitals, schools, factories and welfare societies. Also created their own army
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Muslim Brotherhood was officially disbanded in _____, but they did not go away.
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1948
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The Muslim Brotherhood's violent counterpart, known as the "__________" was rooted in Islamist movement
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secret apparatus
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Nasser and Qutb
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only common ground was hatred for democratic rule. Overthrew King Farouk together, but they clashed. Had different hopes for the new society.
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Nasser threw Qutb in jail three times.
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first time, he is released after three months. second time he serves 15 years third time he is executed.
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Muslim Brotherhood attempts to assassinate Nasser in
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1954.
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Ayman al-Zawahiri
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led Qutb's vanguard. Basically continued his work after he was executed.
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Zawahiri grew up in a Westernized town and hated it.
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Sporting Club
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Zawahiri created
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a terrorist cell dedicated to overthrowing the government and creating an Islamic state.
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Zawahiri's terrorist cell murdered a few at a terrorist parade.
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Zawahiri was not involved, but he was captured and tortured in prison.
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Zawahiri eventually escaped and is rumored
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to have met bin Laden in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
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Mohammed bin Awahd bin Laden
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Osama bin Laden's father
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Ikhwan
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direct predecessor to Al-Qaeda
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Mohammed bin Laden worked profusely on renovations and improvement of the Prophet's Mosque.
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This was his first big job.
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Eventually employed in making so many buildings, the treasury ran out of money and had to pay Mohammed bin Laden in buildings, such as
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a five star hotel, the Hotel al-Yamama
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Saudi binladin Group
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the company that soon took over the Saudi nation
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Osama bin Laden was raised in
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Jeddah
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Osama married at
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17 to a 14 year old.
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Osama joined the ________ at this time too
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Muslim Brothers
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At school Osama started keying into beliefs based on who
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Sayyid Qutb, who believed that all non-Muslims and even Muslims who were not living as true Muslims deserved violence against them.
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Osama was overwhelmed by work
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and quit school
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Prince Turki
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youngest child of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia
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Prince Turki was tutored by
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44th President of the United States, Bill Clinton
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1979, Grand Mosque of Mecca (holiest site in Islam)
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taken hostage by insurgents that used their control of the public address system to broadcast their message.
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Holes dug into ground and bombs dropped into underground tunnels where rebels are hiding.
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Surviving rebels run out. Those who surrendered were decapitated in early 1980.
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During this time (the seige), Afghanistan was being invaded by
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the Soviet Union
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One of the most influential people in recruiting soilders
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Abdullah Azzam, Palestinian scholar - Became one of Osama's best friends
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Chapter 5..
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The Soviet War in Afghanistan
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Bin Laden's biggest contribution to the war is
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money he receives from the Saudi Arabian family
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Mujahedeen declared a jihad-which is
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a holy war
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Mujahedeen at its early points
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were little more than a organzied mob
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seven parties of the mujahedeen
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Bin Laden sponsored the 7th group
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Men who were undesirables found their calling in the mujahedeen
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they recieved a large amount of money
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Recruitment efforts were largely unsuccesfu. The group never numbered more than _______ and had ______ fighting skills
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3 three thousand, questionable
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Bin Laden built ________ and ______ where the mujahadeen could be trained
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training camps and theological libraries
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Azzam created
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the stories of martrydom which lead many to the mujahadeens cause
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Azzam told those who wished to be martrys that..
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there would be 72 virgins awaiting them in heaven with meat and fruit and cups of the purest wine
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What was the deciding factor in the Soviet/Afghanistan war?
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The United States and its support
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Arab/Afghani soilders had little effect on the war but,
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they had become radical Muslims
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Chapter 6..
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The Base
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Sayyid Imam and Dr. Ahmed ed-Wed believed that despite what the Quran said, they could
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kill anyone that stood in the way of their beliefs
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The Lion's Den
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a mountain cave compound that became headquarters
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Al-Qaeda's original goal under Bin Laden was
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to keep the jihad alive after the Soviet Union had left Afghanistan
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Chapter 7...
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Return of the Hero
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Bin Laden was treated as a hero because
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people believed he had brought down the Soviet super power
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Bin Laden originally wanted to wage war on America how? Why didn't he?
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boycotting American products. He felt a bit of gratitude for our help with the Soviets.
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Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait for Saudi Oil fields. Bin Laden did not want
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U.S. help, but he got it anyway
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The help the U.S. led in kicking Iraqis out of Saudi Arabia made Bin Laden think
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that the U.S. wanted to take control of the holy land
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Chapter 8..
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Paradise
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Sudan at this time was struggling and a Muslim Spiritual Leader in the area, Hasan al-Turabi
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opened the country to all Muslims, which lead Al-Qaeda to start a base there
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Around this time is when the United Nations started opening relief areas for regional famines in Somalia and Yemen. Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden took this as
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a threat to Islam. They then changed their goals for Al-Qaeda to a terrorist organization bent on attacking the U.S.
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Bin Laden capitalized on recruiting by
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questioning how much the Christian West had moved into the Middle East.
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Two important moments in history for Bin Laden and his feelings about America
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-U.S. helped Israelis invade Lebanon 1982 -Beruit Barrack bombing of 1983 made U.S. troops withdraw ** This made Bin Laden believe that the U.S. is weak and would back down in a fight.**
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Al-Qaeda started to crumble after
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two failed bombing attacks only killed two bystanders and no Americans
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AL-Qaeda had renewed vigor after
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Abu Hajer made a speech about a historic fatwa that stated that the two people who had died were off to eternal happiness if they had been good muslims or to hell if they were a bad muslim.
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What did this speech on the historic fatwa do?
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It authorized Al-Qaeda members to attack American troops, and allowed for the murder of innocents.
