Hunting a Monster: The FBI’s Frenzied Race to Stop 9/11’s Elusive Hijacker | Ep. 262 | Pt. 1

Mike Drop

Mike Ritland

Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Documentary, Politics, News

4.9 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this gripping episode of the Mike Drop podcast, host Mike Ritland sits down with Harry Samit, a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer and retired FBI agent who played a pivotal role in one of the most significant counterterrorism cases in history: the arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui, the "20th hijacker" of the 9/11 attacks. Samit shares chilling details of his investigation in the weeks leading up to September 11, 2001, revealing how close the FBI came to uncovering the hijacker’s plot and the bureaucratic roadblocks that hindered their efforts. With a career spanning naval intelligence to FBI counterterrorism, Samit offers a unique perspective on the challenges of combating extremism and the personal toll of being at the forefront of such high-stakes investigations. From uncovering Moussaoui’s ties to the 9/11 hijackers to battling FBI headquarters for permission to search his belongings, Samit’s story is a heart-pounding narrative of instinct, frustration, and resilience. He recounts the moment he realized the magnitude of the missed opportunity and the emotional weight of survivor’s guilt that lingers to this day. Packed with never-before-heard details and candid reflections, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the untold stories behind one of America’s darkest days and the relentless pursuit of justice in its aftermath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	A couple times along the way where I wanted to quit, you know, four years.
0:03.6	I mean, we defeated the Axis Powers in World War II in that amount of time.
0:07.0	Yeah.
0:08.0	Took me that long to get to Quantico.
0:10.0	But in the middle of all that, because the Bureau wasn't hiring me, I had to stay in the Navy.
0:16.0	And so my last assignment was, you know, my coolest assignment.
0:24.6	I was sent to Fallon Nevada and I was the Intel officer at Top Gun.
0:25.5	Oh, shit.
0:25.9	Yeah.
0:26.8	Damn, that's cool.
0:28.0	I mean, what do you do there?
0:30.2	I mean, obviously it's a training command.
0:33.2	So two roles, both training.
0:36.8	One is, you know, we run the class, right's a there's a top gun class of students you
0:40.4	know pilots back then when the F-14 was still around pilots and Rios now it's pilots and
0:45.6	wizzoes in the in the back of the F-18 F and they come through the class and we are essentially
0:51.4	teaching them to be the tactical subject matter experts in their squadron.
0:56.0	So the squadrons, the operational squadrons out of the fleet pick their air crew that are like,
1:02.0	okay, this guy's not only good in the air, good on the ground, but they're good teachers.
1:06.0	They send them to Top Gun and so we train them to...
1:09.0	That's awesome.
1:10.0	Yeah, it was cool. That's really cool.
	...

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