The Terrorist Talks

Al-Qaeda's top man in Asia sings to interrogators about the group's operations. A TIME exclusive

It is a working principle of professional interrogators that every detainee wants to tell his story. It did not take long for Riduan Isamuddin--the al-Qaeda operative better known as Hambali--to prove that rule. In fact, it took less than two weeks. After his Aug. 11 arrest in southern Thailand, al-Qaeda's top man in Asia was turned over by Thai authorities to his mortal enemies, agents of the U.S. According to reports they wrote dated Aug. 22 and Aug. 26, copies of which were obtained by TIME, Hambali confessed to his involvement in recent terrorist attacks that have left hundreds dead in...

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