Liberty Read Free Page A

blend in quite well in Arab society, but are essentially unable to function outside of it. These are the troops that bin Laden and his ilk train as Islamic warriors in Afghanistan and Libya and Iraq.”
    Grafton nodded.
    â€œThe second category, if you will, are Arabs with better educations, usually literate, some even possess a technical skill. The fundamentalists actively recruit these people, appeal to their religious sensitivities, wish to convert them to their perverted view of Islam. Since these people have often lived outside the Arab world they can move freely
in Western society. These people are dangerous. They are the ones who hijacked the airliners that crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. By the way, the plane that hit the Pentagon was supposed to crash the White House. The one that crashed in Pennsylvania was supposed to hit the Capitol building.”
    â€œUmm,” Jake said. He knew all of this, of course, but Ilin had gone to a lot of trouble to arrange this meeting and he was willing to listen to what he had to say.
    â€œThe third category of terrorists can be thought of as generals. Bin Laden and his chief lieutenants, financiers, bankers, technical advisers, and so forth. These people are Muslims. For whatever reason, terrorism appeals to their ethnic and religious view of the world.”
    Ilin paused and glanced around him, almost an automatic gesture.
    â€œAnd there is a fourth category. Few of these people are Arabs, few are Muslims. They see profit in terrorism. Some of them take pleasure in the pain the terrorists inflict, for every reason under the sun. These people are enemies of America, enemies of Western civilization. I came today to talk to you about several people in this category.”
    â€œThis fourth group,” Jake mused. “Are any of them Russians?”
    â€œRussians, Germans, French, Egyptians, Japanese, Chinese, Hindu, you name it. America is the big boy in the world—many people have grievances, real and imagined.”
    â€œHate is a powerful emotion,” Jake muttered.
    â€œOne of America’s many enemies is a Russian general named Petrov. He doesn’t hate America, he loves money. A few weeks ago he sold four missile warheads for two million dollars.”
    â€œTo whom?”
    â€œThey call themselves the Sword of Islam. Petrov is in charge of a base near Rubtsovsk. The man who led the team that picked up the weapons was Frouq al-Zuair, a man who has been knocking around the Middle East causing
random mayhem for many years. He hacked some tourists to death in Egypt and evaded the roundup of extremists by escaping to Iraq. Who his friends are, where they are, I don’t know. In fact, I am not supposed to know about Petrov or Zuair or the weapons.”
    â€œBut you do know?”
    â€œA little, yes.”
    â€œIs it true? Or fiction that you are supposed to pass along?” .
    â€œTrue, I think. Although one can never be absolutely sure. And honestly, the Center doesn’t know I am telling this to you.” .
    â€œHow’d you hear of it?” Grafton was shoulder to shoulder with Ilin.
    â€œThat I can’t tell you. Suffice it to say that I believe the information is credible. I know of Petrov. He’s capable of a stunt like that. I’m passing it to the American government to do with as they see fit. For what it’s worth, most of our senior politicians don’t know of this matter and would not admit it happened even if they did know. They can’t afford a rupture with the United States.”
    â€œAre you saying we can’t use this information?”
    â€œYour government shouldn’t brace Moscow on it. They’ll deny it. And don’t let my government know where you heard it. I’m a dead man if it gets back to them.”
    â€œI’ll do the best I can.”
    â€œSo we get around to your question about how I knew you had been assigned to the antiterrorism