Waterboarded at a CIA Black Site, the ‘Number One Terrorist’ Gave Up a Name
"The time for training is over," al-Qaeda's Abu Zubaydah said on a call. After torture, he pointed the CIA to the 9/11 mastermind.
On August 24, 2001, Jordanian intelligence alerted the CIA about Jordanian national Abu Zubaydah's potential involvement in attacks within the United States. Zubaydah, considered the number one terrorist by the CIA, had been on their radar since November 1999. Initially, the arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui and the search for Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi were the main focuses, causing the August 24 report to be a significant diversion.
Zubaydah, born in 1971 in Saudi Arabia, fought in the Soviet war in Afghanistan and was a key player in al-Qaeda’s operations. By 1999, he was operating safe houses in Pakistan and facilitating for al-Qaeda. A phone call in November 1999 led to his arrest by Jordanian police. In January 2000, CIA Director George Tenet labeled Zubaydah as the top target.
The CIA disseminated reports suggesting Zubaydah's imminent operation, with possible targets including Saudi Arabia and India.
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