Agent Storm
My Life Inside al-Qaeda
Published on 3. July 2014
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-0-241-00377-0 (ISBN)
Description
Agent Storm - My Life Inside al-Qaeda by Morten Storm
Morten Storm was an unlikely Jihadist. A 6'1" red-haired Dane, Storm spent his teens with a biker gang or in jail. But after converting to Islam he embarked on a transformation that led from a militant madrassa in Yemen to a close friendship with Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born cleric who would emerge as al-Qaeda's greatest threat to the West.
Then Storm's story took another dramatic twist. He lost his faith and was recruited by the CIA, MI6 and MI5, becoming a double agent. His ultimate mission: to bring down his mentor al-Awlaki.
This is the searing memoir of a man who sought purpose in a community of believers before rejecting their extremist ideology. In a quest for atonement he lived undercover for five years, travelling the world to complete high profile missions. As well as single-handedly thwarting multiple terrorist attacks, he led the intelligence services to some of al-Qaeda's most dangerous terrorists, all the while knowing his own life was expendable.
Agent Storm takes readers inside the Jihadist world like never before, showing the daily life of zealous men set on mass murder: from dodging drones with al-Qaeda leaders in the Arabian desert to Jihadist gyms in Birmingham. It also gives a rare look inside the world's most powerful spy agencies, including their tradecraft, after-hours carousing - and their ruthless use of a beautiful blonde in a honey trap.
Filled with hair-raising close calls, coded messages and chilling duplicity, Agent Storm is a captivating real-life thriller.
Morten Storm was an unlikely Jihadist. A 6'1" red-haired Dane, Storm spent his teens with a biker gang or in jail. But after converting to Islam he embarked on a transformation that led from a militant madrassa in Yemen to a close friendship with Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born cleric who would emerge as al-Qaeda's greatest threat to the West.
Then Storm's story took another dramatic twist. He lost his faith and was recruited by the CIA, MI6 and MI5, becoming a double agent. His ultimate mission: to bring down his mentor al-Awlaki.
This is the searing memoir of a man who sought purpose in a community of believers before rejecting their extremist ideology. In a quest for atonement he lived undercover for five years, travelling the world to complete high profile missions. As well as single-handedly thwarting multiple terrorist attacks, he led the intelligence services to some of al-Qaeda's most dangerous terrorists, all the while knowing his own life was expendable.
Agent Storm takes readers inside the Jihadist world like never before, showing the daily life of zealous men set on mass murder: from dodging drones with al-Qaeda leaders in the Arabian desert to Jihadist gyms in Birmingham. It also gives a rare look inside the world's most powerful spy agencies, including their tradecraft, after-hours carousing - and their ruthless use of a beautiful blonde in a honey trap.
Filled with hair-raising close calls, coded messages and chilling duplicity, Agent Storm is a captivating real-life thriller.
Reviews / Votes
Revelatory, extraordinary . . . There are not others [books] in which the main protagonist has also played such an extensive role for western security services, and, more crucially, is prepared to reveal so much -- Jason Burke * Guardian * A rollicking read and a rare insider's account of Western spying in the age of Al Qaeda, where the risk if exposed is not Cold War-style expulsion but gruesome execution * New York Times * Explosive * Independent * You couldn't make it up . . . Agent Storm couldn't really be less like Bond -- Christina Lamb * Sunday Times * Gripping * Publishers Weekly * Reads like a screenplay for a James Bond movie written by Joel and Ethan Coen * Washington Post * Morten Storm's account of his nerve-wracking life spying on Al Qaeda for Western intelligence gives us the most detailed, compelling, and human look at modern espionage in the lethal world of jihadist terrorism that we are likely to get' -- Mark Stout, former CIA officer and Director Opens a unique window onto bleak interlocking landscapes-the radicalization of European Muslims that has now been energized by the Syrian civil war, the leadership and organization of global jihad, and the twilight struggle waged by western intelligence agencies against an elusive and implacable enemy." -- Steven Simon, bestselling co-author of The Age of Sacred Terror and The Next Attack Morten Storm, Paul Cruickshank, and Tim Lister tell an astonishing and unknown tale of the exploits, change of allegiances, double crosses and inner workings of both al Qaeda terrorist groups and the Western intelligence agencies charged with stopping them. Hard to put down -- Mitch Silber, former Director of Intelligence Analysis at the NYPD and author of The Al Qaeda Factor Remarkable. As a true spy-story, this book brings you incredibly close to what it actually takes to be an extremist and get into a terrorist group while balancing loyalty and treachery in the world of intelligence. Essential reading for everyone interested in how the war on terrorism is actually fought in the shadows. -- Dr. Magnus Ranstorp, a leading expert on international terrorism Reads like a first-rate spy thriller, but it is in fact a stunning and true inside account of the workings, personalities and mindsets of the leaders and operatives of al Qaeda and its worldwide operations . . . an indispensable guide to how the West can counter the appeal of violent jihadism * Washington Times * Gripping... provides valuable and fascinating insight into the quiet battle being waged between clandestine national agencies and various terrorist organizations * Christian Science Monitor *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Weight
722 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-00377-0 (9780241003770)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Born in Denmark, Morten Storm converted to radical Islam and became deeply embedded in the al-Qaeda underworld. He then lost his faith and turned double agent for the West. He became the CIA's most valued informant, entrusted with missions targeting several of the world's most dangerous al-Qaeda terrorists. He now lives in hiding in the UK. This memoir is told with renowned British investigative journalists and al-Qaeda experts Paul Cruickshank and Tim Lister of CNN.