The Looming Tower (English)

This in-depth pre-history of the 9/11 bombings focuses on Osama bin Laden, his fellow leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the rise of al-Qaeda, including its sources in the writings of the philosopher Sayyid Qutb, who visited New York City in the 1940s and was repelled by what he saw as Western decadence. Lawrence Wright traces the attraction of al-Qaeda for its followers, and underscores the significance of Israel's stunning defeat of the Arab armies in 1967, a defining moment for the region. Wright profiles counter-terrorism expert John O'Neill, who, as an FBI agent, hunted bin Laden, and who, having left the bureau to become head of security at the Twin Towers, perished on 9/11, taking with him his vast knowledge of bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Finally., Wright critiques the antagonistic relationship among the FBI, NSA, and CIA, saying that their turf wars were the significant factor in the failure to prevent the 9/11 attacks. minimize