Agent Storm

A Spy Inside al-Qaeda

Paul Cruickshank author Tim Lister author Morten Storm author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd

Published:5th Mar '15

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Agent Storm cover

An unlikely terrorist, Morten Storm went from being a biker to an Islamic convert ready to wage Holy War. He fell under the spell of preacher Anwar al-Awlaki - the West's most wanted al-Qaeda leader, and the inspiration for theCharlie Hebdoattackers.

He was the Western convert who would plunge deep inside al-Qaeda. He named his first son Osama after 9/11 and became a Jihadist. But then - after a sudden loss of faith - Morten Storm made a life-changing decision. He became a double agent and joined the CIA, MI6 and MI5.

He was the Western convert who would plunge deep inside al-Qaeda. He named his first son Osama after 9/11 and became a Jihadist. But then - after a sudden loss of faith - Morten Storm made a life-changing decision. He became a double agent and joined the CIA, MI6 and MI5.

Filled with hair-raising close calls and deception, Storm's story builds to the climactic finale when he must betray his friend and mentor al-Awlaki - al-Qaeda's biggest threat to the West. Storm is trusted to find al-Awlaki a wife from Europe. She becomes the bait for a possible American drone strike.

Revelatory, extraordinary . . . There are not others [books] in which the main protagonist has also played such an extensive role for western security services, and, more crucially, is prepared to reveal so much -- Jason Burke * Guardian *
A rollicking read and a rare insider's account of Western spying in the age of Al Qaeda, where the risk if exposed is not Cold War-style expulsion but gruesome execution * New York Times *
Explosive * Independent *
You couldn't make it up . . . Agent Storm couldn't really be less like Bond -- Christina Lamb * Sunday Times *
Gripping * Publishers Weekly *
Reads like a screenplay for a James Bond movie written by Joel and Ethan Coen * Washington Post *
Morten Storm's account of his nerve-wracking life spying on Al Qaeda for Western intelligence gives us the most detailed, compelling, and human look at modern espionage in the lethal world of jihadist terrorism that we are likely to get' -- Mark Stout, former CIA officer and Director
Opens a unique window onto bleak interlocking landscapes-the radicalization of European Muslims that has now been energized by the Syrian civil war, the leadership and organization of global jihad, and the twilight struggle waged by western intelligence agencies against an elusive and implacable enemy." -- Steven Simon, bestselling co-author of The Age of Sacred Terror and The Next Attack
Morten Storm, Paul Cruickshank, and Tim Lister tell an astonishing and unknown tale of the exploits, change of allegiances, double crosses and inner workings of both al Qaeda terrorist groups and the Western intelligence agencies charged with stopping them. Hard to put down -- Mitch Silber, former Director of Intelligence Analysis at the NYPD and author of The Al Qaeda Factor
Remarkable. As a true spy-story, this book brings you incredibly close to what it actually takes to be an extremist and get into a terrorist group while balancing loyalty and treachery in the world of intelligence. Essential reading for everyone interested in how the war on terrorism is actually fought in the shadows. -- Dr. Magnus Ranstorp, a leading expert on international terrorism
Reads like a first-rate spy thriller, but it is in fact a stunning and true inside account of the workings, personalities and mindsets of the leaders and operatives of al Qaeda and its worldwide operations . . . an indispensable guide to how the West can counter the appeal of violent jihadism * Washington Times *
Gripping... provides valuable and fascinating insight into the quiet battle being waged between clandestine national agencies and various terrorist organizations * Christian Science Monitor *

ISBN: 9780241968796

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 27mm

Weight: 321g

432 pages