The Meadow: Terrorism, Kidnapping and Conspiracy

The Meadow: Terrorism, Kidnapping and Conspiracy in Paradise

Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark

‘A bravura piece of reporting, and an insight into the dark heart of modern terrorism’ Sunday Times

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‘A meticulous account … Like a real-life version of The Beach’ Sunday Telegraph

In July 1995, ten backpackers journeyed into the foothills of the Himalayas, trekking to an idyllic campsite known as the Meadow. But their search for tranquillity was savagely interrupted when they were taken hostage by Islamic extremists.

Using diaries, letters, classified police reports and interviews with the jihadis themselves, The Meadow traces the escalating tension between kidnappers, victims and police, while examining the high-level conspiracies surrounding the abduction. It tells of the single escape attempt and how – with a brutal beheading – the hostage takers took an irreversible step into the abyss.

The shocking true story of the crisis that foreshadowed a new epoch of global terrorism, this is the book that forced Intelligence and government authorities to uncover what really happened in the Meadow.

‘The definitive end to the story, which has remained unresolved for seventeen years … Levy and Scott-Clark have dared to follow the pitiless logic of a very dirty war, and have shown where it can lead’ Literary Review

‘A gripping human story. The Meadow is as long as it is fascinating, minutely re-enacting a horrifying moment that was to send out ripples for decades to come’ Independent