The Accident Man Read Free Page B

struck him that his jaw was clenched and his teeth were grinding together with a tension he could not begin to explain. It was far too soon for the nerves that usually preceded any deadly action. This was something else — a message from his subconscious he wasn’t able to decode. Perhaps he just didn’t want to.
    Carver had spent the past few years trying not to look too deep inside his head. He told himself it was basic military pragmatism. Concentrate on what’s in front of you, worry about the stuff you can control, forget about everything else. Well, there was a girl in front of him, and he could control his bad attitude. He and Candy were going to be stuck together in a pressurized metal tube for the next twenty-four hours. The least they could do was be polite to each other.
    He gave a quick shake of his head, ridding it of unwanted thoughts.
    “Sorry,” he said. “I was out of line.”
    “No worries. Can I get you anything, a bit of breakfast, coffee?”
    “Sure, that would be great. Thanks a lot.”
     
     
    Ten minutes later, the target details were faxed to the plane.
Subject: Ramzi Hakim Narwaz
Nationality: Pakistani (French mother)
Age: 41
Height: 5 foot 11 inches (182 cm)
Weight: 190 lbs. (86.4 kg)

Subject belongs to one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families, was educated at Le Rosey school, Switzerland, is based in Paris and is completely at home in upper echelons of European society. He is married (wife Yasmina comes from a rich Lebanese family) with one son, Yusuf. Drinks alcohol, but seldom to excess. Some social drug use. Discreet but regular extramarital sexual activity, typical of a rich, Westernized male.

This lifestyle is just a cover. Subject, who is highly intelligent and has poor relations with his father, was radicalized by mullahs at various mosques in north and east London, while a student at the London School of Economics. Subject has become an active and increasingly influential player in a growing network of extreme Islamic terrorist cells.

Monitoring of telephone communications by U.S. intelligence, coordinated through the joint CIA/FBI antiterrorist unit, codename “Alex,” shows regular contact between Subject and suspected associates of terrorist movements. These include Konsojaya founders Wali Khan Amin Shah and Riduan Isamuddin (alias “Hambali”); Nairobi, Kenya-based suspect Wadih el-Hage; and several suspects in the Manila, Philippines-based “Bojinka” (Big Bang) plot, which intended to bomb twelve U.S.-bound planes.

Recent bank transfers to and from Subject’s accounts show much greater than usual activity. Subject is strongly believed to be planning a major terrorist assault in Europe, almost certainly in the UK. This assault is believed to be imminent — days, rather than weeks. Telephone intercepts indicate that he will be leaving his family on holiday in the South of France and returning to Paris within the next twenty-four hours.

There is a clear danger to both military personnel and civilian lives if Subject is allowed to proceed with activities. He has therefore been selected for immediate action .
     
    A second fax arrived soon afterward. It notified Carver that $1.5 million had been wired to his numbered account at Banque Wertmuller-Maier de Geneve. Whoever his employers were — and Carver had no great desire to find out, any more than he wanted them to know too much about him — they always paid on time, and in full.
    Max called again when the plane was over the western United States.
    “So where are you now?”
    “Half an hour out of LA,” Carver replied. “The pilot’s putting his foot down. Should be on the ground in a little over ten hours.”
    “Right, so that’ll make it seven thirty p.m. Central European Time. We don’t expect much action before midnight, so that’s fine. But there’s something else we need you to sort out first.”
    Carver was several thousand miles away, speaking via a satellite phone. But his anger got through just