The Fertile Soil of Jihad: Terrorism's Prison Connection - Hardcover

Dunleavy, Patrick T.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1597975486 ISBN 13: 9781597975483

Publisher: POTOMAC BOOKS, 2011

Synopsis

On January 26, 1993, a young Palestinian man named Abdel Nasser Zaben was arrested and incarcerated in New York City for kidnapping and robbery. Just thirty days later, while he remained locked up, radical Islamic fundamentalists detonated a bomb in the World Trade Center. These two events, connected by common threads, signaled the coming of jihad to America. From the seemingly insulated environment of prison, this same young man, thought to have been merely a common criminal, swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden and began to convert other young minds to the cause. A dangerous terrorist recruitment “cell” had been born. How did it happen?Through the story of Abdel Nasser Zaben’s recruitment efforts in prison,The Fertile Soil of Jihad explores in vivid detail how the American prison subculture fosters terrorism. Dunleavy shows how Zaben carefully and knowingly selected the most likely candidates for conversion to his cause. He reveals how Zaben used his apprentice role in the prison chaplain’s office as a cover for his work and how prison resources were used in the service of terrorism. This book yields invaluable insights for intelligence and corrections professionals as well as informed citizens eager to learn what progress the U.S. government is making in countering terrorism.

About this title

About the Author:

Patrick T. Dunleavy, former deputy inspector general of the Criminal Intelligence Unit of the New York State Department of Correctional Services, worked as part of an elite team of investigators for more than twenty-six years, infiltrating criminal enterprises and contract murder conspiracies and negotiating for the release of hostages. He was a key figure in Operation Hades, an investigation that probed the radical Islamic recruitment movement for jihad from both inside and outside prison walls. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Review:

"Patrick Dunleavy's important new book offers glimpses of the determined efforts, difficulties, failures, frustrations, and feuds that characterize efforts to combat prison recruitment.The Fertile Soil of Jihad is a major contribution to our overall understanding of radicalization and terrorist recruitment."Brian Michael JenkinsRAND Corp

"An insider's look at the shadowy and complex world of radicalization inside prison walls and how it extends from the cellblock to the outside world...from New York to Palestine, Yemen, Afghanistan, and beyond."J.M. Bergereditor of Intelwire.com

"...a true tale of intrigue, betrayal, deception, violence, and unparalleled detective work that readslike a Robert Ludlum novel.  This is one of those books that will enthrall you, enrage you, and engage you from the moment you pick it up"Steven EmersonExecutive DirectorInvestigative Project on Terrorism

"Dunleavy masterfully weaves together the intrigue, the connective dots... and, the conspiracies that bind the jihadists in and out of the penitentiaries and their subtle connection to home grown domestic terrorists. His narrative is spellbinding and his prose is superb."Ruth KingContributing EditorFamily Security Matters

This important study greatly benefits from the author's unique operational experience. He had served as a former Deputy Inspector General of the Criminal Intelligence Unit in New York State. This is one of the very few books written on Islamist radicalization and recruitment in American prisons. PERSPECTIVES ON TERRORISM - Volume 6, Issue 2

About this edition

• Publisher: POTOMAC BOOKS
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1597975486
• ISBN 13: 9781597975483
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160