108. Hunting Al-Qaeda: From Jihadist To Spy (Ep 3)

The Rest Is Classified

Goalhanger

History

4.6 • 732 Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jennifer Matthews was one of the most capable and formidable CIA analysts working in the Counter Terrorism Centre during the War on Terror. She was also underestimated by her male colleagues who doubted she had what it took to run one of the most dangerous stations in Afghanistan. When Matthews took the post of CIA station chief at Camp Chapman, she knew the risks she faced. But, what she didn’t know was that Al Qaeda were training a double agent who sought to bring the War on Terror to her front door. Listen as David and Gordon chart the preparations for al-Balawi’s arrival at Camp Chapman and why the intelligence received by the CIA and GID may have been fatally flawed. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this Christmas – go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, regular livestreams, ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, and weekly deep dives into original spy stories. Members also get curated reading lists, special book discounts, prize draws, and access to our private chat community. Just go to ⁠https://therestisclassified.supportingcast.fm/gifts⁠ And of course, you can still join for yourself any time at ⁠therestisclassified.com⁠ or on Apple Podcasts. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026: Buy your tickets ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠ to see David and Gordon live on stage at London’s Southbank Centre on 31 January. ------------------- Try Attio for free at ⁠⁠https://www.attio.com/tric⁠⁠ ------------------- EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ ⁠⁠https://nordvpn.com/restisclassified⁠⁠ Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee ------------------- Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@restisclassified Social Producer: Emma Jackson Producer: Becki Hills Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	For exclusive interviews, bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to series,
0:09.0	first look at live show tickets, a weekly newsletter, and discounted books, join the Declassified
0:14.1	Club at the Rest is Classified.com.
0:17.4	This episode is sponsored by HP.
0:20.2	Most people are not counter-espionage experts, but that won't stop them getting targeted
0:25.4	by cyber criminals seeking to extract their secrets.
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1:39.1	Welcome to the rest of this classified. I'm Gordon Pereira. And I'm David McIrowski. And we're
1:43.5	journeying
1:44.4	in this third episode into the host bombing of 2009 and we've been looking at this remarkable
1:52.5	figure, Belawi, who had been a jihadist blogger but also a quiet doctor and whom the Jordanian intelligence service thought
	...

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