Great Read Seeking a sense of purpose, FBI informant decides to tell all

http://www.latimes.com/nation/great-reads/la-na-c1-informant-salem-20140610-story.html#page=1



Emad Salem in one of his disguises. Two decades have passed since he infiltrated the terrorist cell behind the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993.

Great Read Seeking a sense of purpose, FBI informant decides to tell all
Richard A. Serrano
June 10, 2014

Emad Salem struggled to keep the alibis, aliases and lies straight. He grew a beard; he shaved. He gained weight; he dieted. Plastic surgery reconfigured his looks.

Fearful that the Islamic terrorists he helped put behind bars wanted him dead, Salem carried concealed firearms and wore Kevlar vests. He kept a packed suitcase, ready to bolt into another life in another town. In the car, he kept a nervous eye on the rearview mirror and paused before turning the ignition, scared that the car might explode. Once late at night, he says, he mistook his son for an intruder and nearly shot him.

Two decades have passed since Salem went deep undercover for the FBI and infiltrated the terrorist cell behind the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. After the explosion, he helped the FBI bring charges against a related group of terrorists for a separate plot to blow up tunnels and bridges and other New York landmarks.

In that case, for 46 days in 1995, he testified as the government's star witness in a federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan.