Lightning out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil - Tapa dura

Praise for Lightning Out of Lebanon "Lightning Out of Lebanon is a combination true-crime story, adventure tale, and wake-up call for America. Investigative journalists Barbara Newman and Tom Diaz have detailed the activities of the Lebanese-based Hezbollah terrorist organization in the United States and if you thought al Qaeda was the only terrorist group you had to worry about, think again. . . . A revealing account of the terrorists among us that should be required reading for all Americans."-Neil C. Livingstone, author of Inside the PLO" ""An eye-opener . . . reads like a novel, but documents in detail how operatives of what many call the 'A-Team of Terrorism' have taken advantage of our freedoms, legal loopholes, and defense weaknesses to set up support cells in communities all over America. But it also tells of a success story-how dedicated federal and local law enforcement officials broke up and successfully prosecuted a secret terrorist cell, leading to other investigations that continue today."-Senator Joe Lieberman

* Shocking expose of terrorist operations in the US *Illuminates a highly organised and motivated threat *Gives specific details of a North Carolina cell Prior to 9/11, one terrorist group had killed more US citizens than any other- Hezbollah, the `Party of God'. Hezbollah is an organisation of highly disciplined Muslim extremists: it was they who killed 241 US marines in Beirut in 1983, bombed the US embassy there, and kidnapped and tortured US citizens living in Lebanon. A Lebanese group of Shiite militants, Hezbollah has evolved into a major force in Lebanon's society and politics. Formed in Lebanon by Iranian Revolutionary Guards in 1982, it is fuelled by hatred of Israel and the United States. Hezbollah served as an inspiration to Palestinian factions fighting to liberate occupied territory, and was inspired by the success of the Iranian Revolution. The party originally dreamt of transforming Lebanon's multi-confessional state into an Iranian-style Islamic state. Its 1983 truck-bomb attack against the US Marine barracks in Beirut resulted in the largest peacetime loss ever for the US military, and caused President Reagan to withdraw all troops from Lebanon. Lightning out of Lebanon tells the story of Hezbollah's operations in the US. A cell in North Carolina is profiled, the members of which are the first terrorists ever convicted of violating a Federal statute banning the aiding of terrorist organisations. For ten years the cell engaged in military training and raised millions of dollars through illegal activity to support terrorists around the world. Using their exclusive sources in the Middle East and the US counter-terrorism establishment, the authors examine how best to combat the group Bob Graham, Vice-Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, described as`the A team of terrorism'.