Welcome to episode 154 of FBI Retired Case File Review with Jerry Williams.

I'm a retired agent on a mission to show the public who the

FBI is and what the FBI does through my books, my blog, and my podcast case

reviews with former colleagues. Today we get to speak to former

FBI agent Ali Sufan who served with the FBI for eight years. He investigated highly sensitive and

complex international terrorism cases including bombings and attacks

around the world. In this episode, Ali Sufon reviews his investigation of the attack on the USS Cole,

where suicide terrorists exploded a small boat alongside the Navy destroyer as it was refueling in the

Yemeni port of Aiden. The blast ripped a 40 foot wide hole near the waterline of the coal killing 17 American

sailors and injuring many more.

Ali also discusses the events surrounding 9-11 and his New York Times best-selling book, The Black Banners,

The Inside Story of 9-11 and the War Against Al-Qaeda. I also ask him a few questions about that 10-part

Hulu television series, The Looming Tower, in which he and his work are portrayed. During his FBI career

Ali Sufon was assigned to and later supervised the New York Office's joint terrorism task force where he coordinated both domestic

and international counter-terrorism operations. He received numerous awards and commendations for his counterterrorism work, including the director of the FBI's award for excellence in investigation.

Currently Ali Sufon is the chief executive officer of the

Sufon Group and founder of the Sufon Center. He also serves as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

He has testified before the US Congress and Presidential Commissions and has appeared on 60 Minutes, Frontline, the BBC, and In Newsweek,

The Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He recently released a second book,

Anatomy of Terror from the death of bin Laden to the rise of the Islamic State, which dissects the psychology and inner workings of Al-Qaeda

and the Islamic State and shows how the spread of terror can be stopped.

I am absolutely thrilled to have

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