384: Aimen Dean | Nine Lives of a Spy Inside Al-Qaeda Part Two
The Jordan Harbinger Show
Jordan Harbinger
4.8 • 12.3K Ratings
🗓️ 29 July 2020
⏱️ 86 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Aimen Dean (@AimenDean) was once one of al-Qaeda’s most respected bomb-makers who swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden himself. He eventually switched sides and spent eight years as an MI6 spy trying to take al-Qaeda down from the inside. He is the author of Nine Lives: My Time as the MI6’s Top Spy Inside Al-Qaeda and co-host of podcast Conflicted. This is part one of a two-part episode that will conclude later this week!
What We Discuss with Aimen Dean:- The radicalizing circumstances that contributed to Aimen's recruitment by Islamic extremists after memorizing the Quran by age 12.
- Early misgivings about the cause brought about by witnessing a brutal revenge massacre instigated by his own side during the Bosnian War when he was only 17.
- What Aimen learned about "logistical back-office jihad" and financing terrorism on a global scale while creatively accounting for a now-infamous charity front.
- Aimen's trip to Afghanistan at the behest of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that led him to swear allegiance to Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.
- What Aimen learned -- and taught -- about ingenious and terrible methods of torture that would extract confessions from victims without leaving permanent marks.
- And much more...
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Transcript
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| 0:33.0 | The joke kept continuing. Well, where does he get it? Well, it's available everywhere. |
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| 0:55.0 | You know, that no, it is Coca-Cola. But, you know, in the UK, they keep calling it Coca-Cola. You know, the wrong sort of Coke. |
| 1:10.0 | Welcome to the show. I'm Jordan Harbinger. |
| 1:13.0 | On the Jordan Harbinger Show, we decode the stories, secrets, and skills of the world's sharpest minds and most fascinating people. |
| 1:19.0 | We turn there, wisdom into practical advice that you can use to impact your own life and those around you. |
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| 1:47.0 | So if you're smart and you like to learn and improve, you're going to be right at home here with us. |
| 1:52.0 | This is part two of two with former Al Qaeda bomb maker turned MI6 informant Aiman Dean. |
| 1:58.0 | If you haven't heard part one yet, go back to the previous episode and check that out right now. |
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