Jack Cloonan, a 27-year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), will present a lecture about “The Holy Trinity: Al Qaeda’s Cooperating Witnesses” on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m., in room 005, KJ. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Cloonan will focus on the interaction with three cooperating witnesses and their unique stories, and explore such issues as rapport building vs. harsh interrogation techniques, Al Qaeda’s internal structure, target selection, finances, missed opportunities to capture Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, and whether the attacks on 9/11 could have been prevented.
During his career with the FBI, Cloonan handled numerous investigations involving organized crime, foreign counter-intelligence, and counter-terrorism. He received many commendations for his investigative skills, including the U. S. Attorney General’s Award for Counter-Terrorism.
Cloonan was also part of a special unit that was instrumental in the convictions of six defendants charged in the bombings of the U. S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Since his retirement from the FBI in 2002, Cloonan has been an on-air commentator for ABC News, France 24, the Canadian Broadcasting Network, CNN, and the BBC. He has also held high-ranking positions with several global risk management companies and has appeared in the Academy Award-winning documentaries Farenheit 911 and Taxi to The Dark Side.
Cloonan is also credited with successfully resolving 200 confirmed kidnap-for-ransom cases around the world.
