Act of War - Brad Thor Page 0,41
with the assistance of two pistons. Hanjour gave Harvath the combination.
As soon as it was open, Harvath began pulling everything out and handing it to Levy, who organized it along Hanjour’s desk.
The man had been a meticulous, practically compulsive record keeper. Dates, times, amounts of money, clients he had worked for, the people he had recruited and placed, it was all there. The CIA was going to have a field day with this information, especially with the names of the six men Hanjour had recruited and dispatched to the United States. Those were the files he was most interested in seeing.
The data Hanjour had assembled lived on two laptops, multiple external hard drives, accordion files, manila envelopes, and ledger books. Harvath knew better than to touch any of the electronic data. Hanjour could have it buttoned down, ready to self-destruct if the correct password wasn’t punched in within moments of the computer being booted up. Setting aside the electronic items, he and Levy focused on Hanjour’s printouts and notes while Cowles kept an eye on their prisoner.
In one of the ledgers, Levy found what appeared to be payments to the six engineering students. After each were the initials AA. She was concerned it stood for American Airlines. “What does AA stand for?” she demanded.
“Al Ain. It’s where the engineering students were recruited from.”
Harvath was familiar with it. It was a town about seventy-five miles south of Dubai on the border with Oman. It was home to several universities and health facilities, as well as a falconry hospital Harvath had targeted in a previous operation when he was last in the UAE. “What about these other entries, below the names of the men you recruited for Ahmad Yaqub?”
“Those are family members of the men,” said Hanjour. “As part of the arrangement, their families receive support.”
Harvath had already grilled Hanjour back at the safe house over the attack. He claimed, and Harvath believed him, to know nothing about the details. He had been hired to recruit six engineering students and facilitate their entry into the United States.
“You told me that you helped secure student visas for the men,” Harvath stated.
Hanjour nodded.
“For that to happen, they would have had to have been accepted for enrollment at American universities. Where’s the list?”
“There is no list.”
Harvath looked at him and then, removing the key fob for the Mercedes, tossed it to Cowles. “Go down and get the Storm Case from the trunk.”
Hanjour held up his hands. “There is no list because they were not accepted to any American universities.”
Harvath signaled for Cowles to wait. “If they didn’t have letters of acceptance, how were you able to get them student visas?”
“There was an internship program they were particularly qualified for.”
Harvath didn’t notice Hanjour giving off any tells, but there was something odd about what he was saying. “From what you’ve already told me, there was nothing remarkable about these six men. They weren’t hardcore jihadists and were mediocre students at best. What could they possibly be particularly qualified for?”
“All that mattered was that they were Muslims.”
Harvath looked at Levy. None of it made sense to her either. An American internship program that recruited foreign students and based acceptance on whether or not they were Muslim? It was beyond ridiculous.
Looking back at his prisoner, Harvath asked, “Who sponsored this Muslim internship?”
Hanjour smiled. “NASA.”
CHAPTER 19
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Harvath couldn’t believe it. NASA? The National Aeronautics and Space Administration had sponsored the visas of six would-be Muslim terrorists? America’s visa program was absolutely screwed up, but that screwed up? How the hell could an agency of the United States government not only have imported six terrorists, but have actively sought them out? It was beyond insane.
He locked his eyes on Hanjour. He still didn’t buy it. “Why would NASA create an internship program for foreign Muslim students?”
Hanjour shrugged.
Harvath was about to press him, when Levy spoke up. “I know why.”
“You do?”
“A couple of years ago, there was an interview on Al Jazeera TV. It caused a lot of controversy back in the U.S. The director of NASA was being interviewed. It was during the previous administration. He said that when he took the NASA job, the President wanted him to do three things. I thought it was a joke when I heard it. The President said he wanted the NASA director to inspire children to learn math and science, expand international relationships, and at the top of the list, he wanted the director to find a way to