Guarding bin Laden: My Life in al-Qaeda

Osama bin Laden's chief bodyguard, Nasser al-Bahri provides an unrivalled first-hand account of life in the heart of al-Qaeda in the run-up to 9/11. Al-Bahri describes how he became a hardened terrorist in the jihadist training camps and provides what FBI agent Ali Soufain has described as a 'treasure trove of information' about al-Qaeda. He details: the daily routine in al-Qaeda HQ; the terrifying al-Qaeda weapons arsenal; how he saved bin Laden from breath-taking assassination attempts; how he was sent to seek alternative bases for al-Qaeda on the secret island of Socotra and in Somalia; how the terrorists argued about, and then prepared for, 9/11; how bin Laden was a flawed character; how current leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was deeply unpopular; al-Qaeda's close relationships with the Taliban, and the Pakistani security establishment. Reviews: ‘Bin Laden’s former bodyguard delivers a breath-taking account’ Tele et Vous 15 September 2011 ‘An intriguing glimpse of life inside the al-Qa’ida chief’s lair’ Sunday Times 19 April 2010