Book description
The United States government is actively monitoring terrorist cells
affiliated with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network in eleven cities,
from Florida to Boston to Denver to Houston. But al Qaeda is hardly our
only threat. Hamas, formed in 1987, was run by top Palestinian officials
in America from its earliest days, and has tentacles in Texas,
California, New Jersey, Virginia, and Illinois. The University of South
Florida was infiltrated by the infamous organization known as
Palestinian Islamic Jihad -- one of its faculty members even left the
country to take that group's top leadership role after his predecessor
was assassinated. Hizballah has been tied to cells in North Carolina and
Michigan, from which it drew funds and attempted to procure military
equipment.
In short, September 11, 2001, was hardly an isolated or
unpredictable event. The United States has become home to hundreds and
probably thousands of terrorists, and it has become a central node in
their international networks. Steven Emerson, hailed as "the
nation's leading expert on Islamist terrorism," has been working
full-time since 1993 to track the spread of terrorist networks to our
shores, even at great personal risk. In 1995, not long after the
release of his PBS documentary "Jihad in America," he was
informed by federal officials that a South African Islamist death
squad had been dispatched after him, and told that he should leave his
home immediately. Since then he has not maintained a home address,
though he has continued to write and testify under his own name. With
the help of a staff of researchers he has followed the terrorists'
monetary sources, monitored their attacks and plans, exposed their
ties to charitable foundations, and assisted a variety of government
agencies in the battle against them. He has obtained videotaped
evidence of terrorist training camps and conferences, and tracked the
international connections of American operatives to over a dozen
organizations.
In American Jihad Emerson reveals the full story that only he
knows. This is a frightening and crucial book for anyone who needs to
understand the threat within our borders.
Melissa Radler The Jerusalem Post It is hard
to think of anyone who has done more extensive research in the area.
The things that worry Emerson should worry America at large.
Steven Emerson is Executive Director of The
Investigative Project, the largest intelligence and data-gathering
center in the world on militant Islamic activities. He is also an
award-winning investigative journalist who specializes in Islamic
terrorism. His 1994 documentary, "Jihad in America," won the
George Polk Award for Excellence in Journalism and the Investigative
Reporters and Editors' Award for best national investigation into
criminal activity. His previous books include The Fall of Pan Am
103, co-authored with Brian Duffy (1990), and Terrorist: The
Inside Story of the Highest-Ranking Iraqi Terrorist Ever to Defect
to the West, co-authored with Cristina del Sesto (1991). His
articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York
Times, The Washington Post, and The New Republic. From
1986 to 1990 he was the national security correspondent for U. S.
News & World Report, and from 1990 to 1993 he worked for
CNN, until leaving to work on his documentary.
