Islamist, Scholar, Bomb-maker… Spy
Aimen Dean will be assisted in writing Nine Lives by Paul Cruickshank and Tim Lister, who wrote the international bestseller Agent Storm: My Life Inside al Qaeda and the CIA with Morten Storm. Paul Cruickshank is a British and a New York based investigative reporter specializing in al Qaeda, a CNN Terrorism Analyst, and an Alumni Fellow at the Center on Law and Security at New York University’s School of Law. Tim Lister, also British, has covered international news for 25 years as a producer and reporter for the BBC and CNN. In 2004, he produced the award-winning documentary “Between Hope and Fear: Journeys in the New Iraq” for CNN.
‘Nerve-shredding.’
*Daily Mail*
‘It is rare that Western secret services place an agent within an
organisation such as al-Qaida… It is unprecedented that any such
individual publishes a detailed memoir of more than a decade of his
activity at very nearly the highest possible levels of Islamist
militancy.’
*Observer*
‘A major contribution to the literature of espionage, and a rare
book to say something original about contemporary jihadism.’
*Wall Street Journal*
‘An endlessly fascinating portrayal of al-Qaeda and the jihadist
movement before and after 9/11…a thrill ride of an
autobiography…Nine Lives is also an exquisite portrait of what
it is like to be a secret agent caught in limbo between the West
and the Middle East… A must-read for anyone who seriously wants to
end the scourge of jihadi terrorism in the West and the East.’
*New York Journal of Books*
‘A compelling and invaluable account of life inside al-Qaeda
through the eyes of a first-rate spy. This unique narrative throws
open the shutters of the secret world of terror.’
*Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower*
‘Aimen Dean has been on most of the major jihadist battlefields of
the past three decades and met many of the most significant
figures… Not only a gripping page-turner, but also an extraordinary
contemporary history of the global terror threat.’
*Raffaello Pantucci, author of “We Love Death As You Love Life”:
Britain’s Suburban Terrorists*
‘This captivating real-life spy-thriller is a
must-read to understand the enduring threat of
global terror. It provides a fascinating account of one of the most
lethal terrorist groups, from the unique perspective of a
courageous double agent – an excellent read all
round.’
*Ali Soufan, former FBI Special Agent and author of Anatomy of
Terror and The Black Banners*
‘One of the most extraordinary, captivating and insightful accounts
of involvement in the violent global jihad. For many years, Aimen
Dean risked his life time and time again, penetrated the leadership
of al-Qaeda and saved many lives. Britain owes him a debt of
gratitude. A seminal book.’
*Richard Walton, Head of Counter Terrorism Command (SO15), New
Scotland Yard, 2011–2016*
‘An incisive history of the war on terrorism and a riveting
true-life thriller… An important book that sheds new light on
al-Qaeda’s violent trajectory and its continued, stubborn
resilience.’
*Professor Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University, and author of
Inside Terrorism*
‘A must-read for anyone interested in the inside story of the last
two decades of the so-called War on Terror. This book defies easy
classification. Is it an insightful book on intelligence
tradecraft? Certainly so. Is it an important primer on the
evolution of radical jihadism? Without question. Is it a key
resource for our understanding of counter-terrorism policy and
practice in the twenty-first century? Absolutely.’
*Dr Vince Houghton, Historian and Curator, International Spy
Museum, Washington, DC*
‘Nine Lives provides a stunning inside account of the making of a
senior al-Qaeda operative, who trained with the organization’s
master bomb-maker and WMD-specialist, who turned into an MI6 spy,
foiling terrorist plots and uncovering al-Qaeda networks. The story
of Aimen Dean is as close as you’ll ever get to the real thing. The
book provides unique intelligence insights into the inner workings
of al-Qaeda before and after 9/11. It also reveals how MI6 used him
as one of its most valuable intelligence weapons in the global war
on terrorism.’
*Dr Magnus Ranstorp, Research Director, Centre for Asymmetric
Threat Studies, Swedish Defence University, and Quality Manager, EU
Radicalisation Awareness Network, Centre of Excellence*
‘This is the most fascinating book about al-Qaeda I’ve read in a
long time. It is a realistic and down-to earth account of
al-Qaeda’s chemical weapons programme, told by one of its insiders.
It’s a must-read for everyone who wants to
understand al-Qaeda and the evolution of
international terrorism.’
*Anne Stenersen, author of Al-Qaida in Afghanistan and
Al-Qaida’s Quest for Weapons of Mass Destruction*
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