Endless Enemies: Inside FBI Counterterrorism

FBI operative Raymond W. Holcomb's assignments took him across America, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Africa, and involved espionage, counter narcotics, Mafia takedowns, national security, Special Weapons and Tactics, and much more. He and his men captured the terrorists behind the 1993 assault on the World Trade Center, investigated the bombings of U.S. embassies, and pursued the killers of the seventeen American sailors who died in the 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole. After 9/11, he assisted in interrogating Yemeni prisoners who had information about the attack, which led to identifying al Qaeda and some of the hijackers. After the capture of one of 9/11's most lethal masterminds, he went on a secret followup mission to Afghanistan. Holcomb's memoir provides detailed information about the FBI that only a longtime bureau insider can reveal, such as prison conditions and interrogation techniques in Guantánamo and Afghanistan. He describes hunting down and grilling criminals of every ilk around the world, and then creating and leading the FBI's elite cadre of counterterrorism agents who were at the helm of every major post-9/11 investigation, including the infiltration of homegrown conspiracies. Holcomb's absorbing account gives anyone interested in the training and activities of the FBI's elite tactical units a window into these highly effective organizations within the bureau.

About the Author :
Raymond W. Holcomb is a terrorism consultant for the federal government. He retired from the FBI in 2005 after twenty-two years of service. His most recent position was as assistant section chief of the Counterterrorism Operational Response Section, Counterterrorism Division, FBI headquarters. In 2002 he was a prosecution consultant on the trial team of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only planner of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to be convicted to date.

Review :
"The FBI is constantly evolving to meet changing threats to our nation. Ray Holcomb's career dramatically illustrates that point. From rural Georgia chasing bank robbers and fugitives in the 1980s, to the streets of New York chasing mobsters and drug lords in the 1990s, to remote outposts in the Middle East chasing terrorists after 9/11, he played a significant role in that evolution. I highly recommend this book to those wishing to know more about the FBI and the dedicated men and women who serve this nation so well."--Weldon L. Kennedy, deputy director (ret.), FBI "Endless Enemies is endlessly entertaining. From the kudzu fields of Athens, Georgia, to the smoke-choked bars of Zanzibar, Holcomb has a great eye for the revealing detail. For serious students of counterterrorism there are plenty of new nuggets on the East African embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, September 11, and many other incidents."--Richard Miniter, author of Shadow War and Losing Bin Laden "From the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia to the New York SWAT team, from the embassy bombings in Africa to prison interrogations in Kabul and Guantánamo, from the killing fields of Sierra Leone to the percolating violence in Jakarta, Ray Holcomb rode the frantic transition from traditional FBI criminal investigation to the counterterrorism mission of the post-9/11 world. Holcomb's memoir offers the reader a rare glimpse inside the murky world of transnational terrorist stalking. It's fascinating stuff, but it will keep you awake at night wondering when America's luck will run out again."--James Botting, author of Bullets, Bombs and Fast Talk: Twenty-five Years of FBI War Stories "Ray Holcomb is the real deal: smart, disciplined, caring, and totally committed. Endless Enemies takes off the rose-colored glasses and provides the reader the opportunity to look at the life of an FBI agent through the prism of reality. It is a must-read for aspiring FBI agents, FBI critics, and those who want a ring-side seat to see the way major FBI cases developed and how Ray contributed to their success."--Bill Gavin, former assistant director of the FBI's New York field office and coauthor (with Kathleen McChesney) of Pick Up Your Own Brass: Leadership the FBI Way