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The Hunt for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

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    Josh Meyer on the pursuit and takedown of the 9/11 mastermind

  • Duration 7:36
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Welcome back to episode number two of the fox hole I'm your host James Rosen in Washington.

And this is a new online program as we've been mentioning airing every other Friday right here on live dot foxnews.com.

Right below -- you can use your FaceBook or Twitter account to chat with us and send -- your questions we are joined now by a friend of mine Josh Meyer.

Who has an affiliation is I do to the -- -- school of journalism he is a former journalists for many years at the Los Angeles Times and the author of a brand new book.

Called the hunt for KSM about Khalid Sheikh Mohamed.

The mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

Josh Meyer joins me from our Boston affiliate Josh thanks for doing this tell us about your book how many years did you spend working on it -- What would you describe as its central revelations.

Well thanks for having me James and nods and honored beyond your second show -- -- it's -- have a great run and be a great show.

But Bobbie it's in the book is called.

The hunt for -- him inside the pursuit takedown of the real -- eleven mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohamed.

And my co authored by the reason we we -- titled it that -- is because.

You know it there's a lot of misperception out there that Osama bin Laden is the guy behind 9/11 and behind most of all qaeda's attacks.

When really it was Khalid Sheikh Mohamed who did the 9/11 -- he created.

You know them envision them from the very beginning.

Orchestrated them and carried him out with with a little bit of help from Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

But it was mostly his attacks in case I'm also all orchestrated.

And carried out dozens of other attacks to.

And while he's sitting in Guantanamo awaiting trial it seems like all the publicity -- Osama bin Laden and that seems to be kind of a big disconnect and so we wanted to sort of tell the story.

OK -- -- who he was and perhaps most interestingly enough.

The fact of the FBI the CIA were chasing him from 1993.

For ten years before they caught him in 2003.

In the middle of all that -- eleven happened and a bunch of other attacks.

And how many years do you and your co author spent working on this project.

Obviously we actually spent about a decade and on and on and off you know I was -- -- Los Angeles Times for twenty years my coauthor Terry McDermott was there.

As well for for a lot of years and we'd first like Don TK is -- in in 2002 and a couple sources of mine.

Tipped me off to the fact that they were desperately hunting him.

For the 9/11 attacks and that didn't become public for a couple months until I was able to confirm that.

Threw some good sources he was not captured.

For eighteen months after 9/11 so we worked on and on and off -- from 2002 up until the present.

Interviewed him you know well over a hundred people travel all around the world and and tell us it's just a fascinating story not just a kiss him.

But of the many people -- were chasing him around the globe Bob -- they traveled to forty countries are more trying to catch -- -- they never -- -- -- 2003.

For our own line viewers if you have questions of Josh Meyer co author of the hunt for KS and more questions about Khalid Sheikh Mohamed.

Just use your Twitter or FaceBook account to log into our live chat right below this screen.

And send them to us and my trusty assistant Valerie will make sure we get them here to -- to Josh Meyer Josh we just had this.

Proceeding involving Khalid Sheikh Mohamed.

At which I gather he was somewhat disruptive guy -- presume -- following this still correct.

Yes very much so in fact I was down there instead of going down as a journalist -- went down as an observer.

Partially because of the -- don't national security journalism initiative.

In large part because of that and it and I did that because as an observer you're allowed to be an -- rolled -- for the entire -- Where's the journalists recycled through and only if you were allowed to see it.

So I watched from beginning to end in case and was very disruptive it's different than the other hearing that he was that in 2008.

In that in this case he didn't say a word at least you know to the court he refused to talk to the judge she refused to talk to the defense lawyers and prosecutors.

But he spent a lot of time writing notes and whispering to his other co defendants and telling them what to do.

And it's very clear that terrorism is still in charge he's orchestrating the defense of all of the five.

People that are on trial for the 9/11 attacks and down.

You know nobody knows exactly when the trial's gonna happen.

But it's going to be -- very.

Almost.

Calamitous proceeding I think given what case I'm.

Probably plans to do -- them.

Was it weird phew finally to be in the same room within striking distance so to speak of of this object of your journalistic pray for so many years.

-- it was I mean you know and that's good question James I mean I have been following kiss him since 2002 as I mentioned.

You know I went to Pakistan for about a month.

In every VI -- and Pakistan intelligence officials and I was like you have to sort of start chronicling the hunt for kids -- as it was -- -- in late 2002 before he was caught in March 2003.

On the first homicide case and was in 2008 when he appeared in Guantanamo and so I think out of three public appearances that he's ever made I was -- two of them.

And he's just a fascinating guy.

Unlike a photo of him that everybody knows.

-- capture of this very -- he looks.

You're gonna like a Domino's Pizza delivery guy that's been awakened in the middle of the night -- -- is right that photo right right.

Yeah I mean he looks like your -- he looks very angry and scowling but the real collegiate Mohammed.

Is actually quite a charismatic guy he you know he's extremely intelligent he's very very manipulative in some ways he reminds me -- Charles Manson I mean he's got this.

Stare that like really.

You know is chilling but then he can crack jokes he's he's he's very good giving people to do what he wants them to do and that's how he was able to -- Sent essentially you know someone army of jihadist.

To help and wages war against the United States are watching him in person.

Is very is he is intriguing he's a very little guide to he's about 56.

And especially in the sort of hospital.

Uniforms that they give them sometimes to wearing Guantanamo he's not he doesn't look very threatening but he keep you know he's very dangerous guy.

Course we we only have about a minute left in this segment Josh you mentioned -- analogy to to Charles Manson is there any evidence -- That we have -- have seen over the years that that Khalid Sheikh Mohamed himself personally ever killed anyone as opposed to.

Getting others to do that for him.

Know that yes very much so and and we mentioned this in the book the hunt for his -- by the way if anybody wants to know.

You can go to WWW.

Done the hunt for KSM dot com for a -- for a lot more information.

But you know unlike Osama bin Laden and and his top lieutenants -- actually was out there in the world.

Orchestrating attacks recruiting and and financing but he also got.

His hands very very dirty one of the things that he did the CIA and the FBI are now convinced them.

Is that he personally decapitated.

Daniel Pearl who was the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped in 2002.

And so and as we say in the book KSM.

Slit his throat once in front of the cameras and when -- camera malfunctioned he did it again.

And in that case he severed his head cleanly off and held it up for the camera.

And they were an awful match.

Yet there really match his -- prints from the back of his hand to the -- -- to prove that he actually did so really slowly.

Yeah yeah what we we have.

Believe it on the such a grizzly note unfortunately but we -- Very grateful to you Josh Meyer for coming in for Boston affiliate he is the coauthor along with Terry McDermott.

Of the brand new book the hunt for KSM.

Reading this book will help you understand how 9/11 came to be.

And what terror threats the United States still faces Josh -- Thanks for joining us in the foxhole today.

Thanks Shannon good luck with the show any -- you so much.

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