Serial Serial S04 - Ep. 2: The Special Project
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Mar 28, 2024 Julian Barnes, an intelligence reporter at The New York Times, dives deep into the shadowy world of government secrecy and the high-stakes environment of Guantanamo Bay. He reveals the formation and tactics of a Special Projects team aimed at extracting information from detainees like Mohamedou Slahi through unconventional and often brutal interrogation methods. The conversation touches on the psychological manipulation involved, the moral dilemmas faced by operatives, and the profound impacts of trauma on detainees, inviting listeners to ponder the ethics of intelligence operations.
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Danny's Honey Scam
- Danny, living in Yemen, wanted to get rich quick by exporting honey.
- His plan involved swapping labels on cheaper Pakistani honey and selling it at a higher price in Yemen.
Honey as a Cover Story
- In 2002, claiming involvement in honey sales and trade was a common Al-Qaeda cover story.
- This made Danny's activities suspicious to intelligence officials investigating Al-Qaeda.
Danny's Interrogation
- During interrogation, Danny was asked about Bin Laden's whereabouts, a question he found absurd.
- He felt he was a victim of circumstance, in the wrong place at the wrong time.