"Brad Thor - Harvath 02 - Path of the Assassin" - читать интересную книгу автора (Thor Brad)

make that happen.тАЭ
тАЬWhat diplomatic channels have we tried?тАЭ asked the secretary of state.
Vaile glanced at President Rutledge before responding. тАЬThe president has put the
question point-blank to the Israeli prime minister, and he has denied that his country
has any involvement with the Hand of God.тАЭ
тАЬSo what, in fact, do we know?тАЭ asked the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
тАЬWhat we know is that the timing of this couldnтАЩt be worse. If youтАЩll permit me, IтАЩd
like to explain why the president has called this meeting,тАЭ said Vaile, who then asked
for the lights to be lowered as he activated his laptop. Two, large flat-panel screens
at the front of the situation room came to life with the seal of the Central Intelligence
Agency as the director began his presentation.
тАЬBefore Osama bin Laden appeared on the world stage, the spotlight rested largely
upon Abu Nidal, a man who not only wrote the book on international terrorism, but
published it as well.
тАЬThe Abu Nidal Organization, also known as the Fatah Revolutionary Council, or
FRC, has carried out over ninety terrorist attacks across twenty countries, resulting
in the death and injury of more than a thousand people. At one point, the State
Department classified Nidal and his people as the most dangerous terrorist
organization in the world. His targets have included the United States, the United
Kingdom, France, Israel, moderate Palestinians, the PLO, and various Arab nations.
The organizationтАЩs number-one priority after the creation of a Palestinian State is the
destruction of Israel and then AmericaтАФтАЭ
тАЬWait a second. These people have been off the radar screen for years,тАЭ said the
secretary of state. тАЬI thought we were operating under the assumption that Abu Nidal
had been assassinated in Baghdad.тАЭ
тАЬThe CIA is inclined to agree with you,тАЭ responded Vaile.
тАЬThen what are we talking about?тАЭ
тАЬThis,тАЭ said Vaile as he advanced to the next slide of his presentation. The long list
of Abu NidalтАЩs terrorist activities, including masterminding the Rome and Vienna
airport massacres, as well as the Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland,
disappeared and was replaced by an empty silhouette. тАЬLadies and gentlemen, meet
Hashim Nidal. Abu NidalтАЩs son.тАЭ
тАЬBut thereтАЩs nothing there,тАЭ replied the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
тАЬAnd therein lies the greatest threat facing our country at this moment,тАЭ replied Vaile.
тАЬDirector Vaile,тАЭ began the Homeland Security director, тАЬare you telling us that
despite the vast resources of the CIA, you donтАЩt even have a picture of this man?тАЭ
тАЬUnfortunately, thatтАЩs correct. Abu Nidal went to great lengths to keep the fact that
he even had a son hidden. All weтАЩve been able to ascertain thus far is his name.
Roughly translated from Arabic, Hashim means, тАШcrusher of evil.тАЩтАЭ
тАЬWell, thatтАЩs lovely,тАЭ said the secretary of state as she closed her folder and pushed
it away from her. тАЬAre you suggesting, Mr. Vaile, that Abu Nidal turned the reins of
the organization over to his son?тАЭ
тАЬBased on the intelligence we have received, thatтАЩs exactly what weтАЩre suggesting.тАЭ
тАЬAnd what is this intelligence?тАЭ
тАЬAccording to our sources, Hashim Nidal has united an international network of
Islamic terrorist organizations including Hamas, Hezbollah, the al-Aqsa Martyrs
Brigades, the remnants of Al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, Abu Sayyaf in the
PhilippinesтАжThe list goes on and on. He has been able to convince them that their
service to Allah can best be carried out by joining forces. He knows their strengths,
as well as their weaknesses. They have been sharing strategies, intelligence, and even