174-The 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks: reflections on how they happened & lessons learned

Guest on the podcast, author of 'The Looming Tower.' He recalls his own experiences on 9/11 and the profound research that led to his book.

Inspired by Qutb's execution, he started a cell at 15 to overthrow the Egyptian government and later played a significant role in Al-Jihad and Al-Qaeda.

Saudi Arabian king who enlisted Muhammad Bin Laden to build a road unifying the kingdom across the Sarawat mountain range.

A reporter who narrowly escaped the World Trade Center on 9/11 and whose story became a key narrative in The New Yorker and inspired Lawrence Wright's book.

The Egyptian president who came to power in 1952, initially tried to co-opt the Muslim Brotherhood, and later executed Sayyid Qutb.

National Security Advisor under the Carter Administration, who saw the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as an opportunity to give the Soviets their own Vietnam.

Osama Bin Laden's father, an illiterate Yemeni laborer who became a wealthy and famous figure in Saudi Arabia by building roads and properties for the royal family.

Saudi prince who recounted Bin Laden's humiliated plea to defend Saudi Arabia against Iraq and later informed the CIA of Al-Qaeda operatives in the US.

Bin Laden's best friend and brother-in-law for much of his life, who had been in Afghanistan with Bin Laden and believed the legends of green birds purifying fallen fighters.

A young, deeply intelligent FBI agent born in Lebanon, fluent in Arabic, who became the lead agent for the USS Cole bombing investigation. He identified Al-Qaeda operatives through skilled interrogations without torture.

Saudi Ambassador to Washington D.C., whose wife sent thousands of dollars to figures connected to the hijackers in San Diego. The legitimacy of these payments has not been satisfactorily explained.

The senior figure among the 9/11 hijackers and one of the pilots. An educated and pious man whose motivations are complex.

An influential Egyptian educator and member of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose radical writings about America and Islamic governance profoundly shaped the ideology of al-Qaeda.

Co-founder of Al-Qaeda, who came from considerable wealth and privilege. His early life, piety, and role in the Afghan war are explored as factors in his radicalization.

A minor cleric who became the leader of the Taliban, organizing them after a personal duel between Afghan commanders over a boy.

Member of the Bush administration who, according to Richard Clark, seemed unaware or dismissive of the Al-Qaeda threat, viewing concerns as merely 'swatting flies.'

One of the two Saudi hijackers who arrived in the US on January 15, 2000, and was later identified by the CIA but whose information was withheld from the FBI.

Khallad al-Midhar's wife, from an Al-Qaeda-linked family in Yemen, whose household phone was wired by the CIA. Calls from her house to the hijackers in San Diego were intercepted.

Israeli general whose army eventually surrounded Egyptian forces in the 1973 war, despite initial Egyptian successes.

Egyptian president who immediately succeeded Sadat after his assassination. Mentioned in the context of Arab dictators targeted by Bin Laden.

The first king of Saudi Arabia, who was given a wheelchair by President Roosevelt and for whom Muhammad Bin Laden built a ramp for his car.

Iraqi dictator who invaded Kuwait in 1990, an event that significantly contributed to Bin Laden's radicalization by leading to the US military presence in Saudi Arabia.

Former terrorism czar under the Clinton administration, who was demoted by the Bush administration but tirelessly warned about the Al-Qaeda threat and later apologized to 9/11 victims' families.

Flamboyant FBI agent who led the I-49 anti-terrorism squad, deeply committed to bringing Bin Laden to justice, but whose efforts were thwarted by CIA obstruction and personal conflicts with figures like Barbara Bodine.

A Saudi figure who allegedly by 'coincidence' met the two hijackers in LA and helped them find housing and financial support in San Diego.

Nasser's successor as President of Egypt, initially underestimated but became a significant figure for making peace with Israel. He freed many Muslim Brotherhood prisoners, inadvertently fueling radicalism.

The former ruler of Iran, overthrown in 1979, who followed a similar path to Sadat in trying to modernize his country, leading to religious backlash.

The 'Godfather' of Arab participation in the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan, who saw Bin Laden as a cash machine for his fundraising efforts.

Headed Alex Station, the CIA's anti-terrorism unit, and was prescient about the threat of Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda despite being sidelined for his radical views.

A cleric in a Saudi mosque in San Diego with whom the two future hijackers met. He later became a voice of radical Islam.

One of the two Saudi hijackers who arrived in the US on January 15, 2000, and was later identified by the CIA but whose information was withheld from the FBI.

US Ambassador to Yemen who clashed with FBI agent John O'Neill during the USS Cole investigation, leading to O'Neill's team being expelled from Yemen.

The flight that crashed in Pennsylvania on 9/11, which the host had recurring dreams about for years after the attack.

A 1998 movie written by Lawrence Wright, starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis, depicting what would happen if terrorism came to America, predating 9/11 events.

Afghan fighters supplied with weapons and money by the US to fight against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, some of whom later became allies of the Taliban.

The terrorist organization responsible for the 9/11 attacks and prior attacks on American embassies in East Africa. Its history and evolution are central to the discussion.

A group that ultimately assassinated Sadat, later merging with Al-Qaeda. Ayman al-Zawahiri was a key figure in this organization.

A white supremacist group with a philosophy of wanting to eliminate much of the population, contemplating biological warfare as part of their goal.

The CIA unit created to track Bin Laden, initially ignored but later recognized its importance.

A group of students (Taliban means students) who rose to power in Afghanistan, initially as a military force, with many members coming from religious schools.

A Japanese cult that aimed to destroy the world with diseases or atomic bombs, highlighting the danger of capable scientists joining extremist groups.

The law enforcement agency responsible for domestic criminal investigations, including terrorism on U.S. soil. Its mission clashed with the CIA's intelligence gathering.

A periodical where Lawrence Wright was an editor and published an article on a survivor of the World Trade Center attack after 9/11, leading to his book.

An outlawed Islamic organization in Egypt that sought an Islamic state rather than a military dictatorship. Qutb was a member, and it influenced early Al-Qaeda figures.

A patched-together organization opposed to the Taliban, which would have been part of the Afghan government.

The intelligence agency tasked with foreign intelligence gathering, criticized for obstructing justice by withholding critical information from the FBI prior to 9/11.

A historic American symbol in Philadelphia, mentioned to illustrate the shift in public access and security after 9/11.

Mentioned in the context of torture and waterboarding of Al-Qaeda suspects, which Ali Soufan opposed.

A US Army medical research facility, mentioned in the context of anthrax, highlighting dual-use concerns for biological agents.

An airport in Dallas, Texas, where a sense of pre-9/11 freedom and unguarded access was contrasted with post-9/11 security measures.

Lawrence Wright's book, published in 2006, detailing the history of Al-Qaeda and the intelligence failures leading up to 9/11.

An Arabic phrase meaning to expel someone for their disbelief, a precedent set by Sayyid Qutb to deem other Muslims as infidels, leading to justification for terrorism.

Peace treaties signed in 1979 between Egypt and Israel, brokered by the US, which isolated Sadat in the Arab world.