from Hacker News

CIA Sent Him Deep Undercover to Spy on Islamic Radicals. It Cost Him Everything

by warrenm on 8/28/24, 2:46 PM with 25 comments

  • by duxup on 8/28/24, 3:50 PM

    I suspect that anyone headed into a deep cover situation ... you're rolling the dice in almost every way. There's no magic prep that makes any given individual immune to coming out of it far worse, or to avoid tragic results.

    Complicating things further people who have access / opportunity to join a group like Al Qaeda, maybe already are at a disadvantage personally / psychologically as far as outcomes go.

  • by id00 on 8/28/24, 3:39 PM

  • by michaelt on 8/28/24, 4:26 PM

    > And his transformation was impressive. He “looked like something out of Hollywood central casting,” recalls a former senior agency official: an Arabic-speaking Salafist with a “killer beard,” decked out in traditional garb, an all-American Midwestern white boy turned jihadist.

    I've got to say, it's kinda surprising they'd send a white guy.

    I know there are some white jihadists - but compared to sending someone less obvious it kinda seems like just as much danger, but much less chance of success?

  • by no_exit on 8/28/24, 5:28 PM

    I'm surprised they didn't manage to shoehorn in a Havana Syndrome plug.

  • by dylan604 on 8/28/24, 4:17 PM

    "Nor have questions ceased about how the CIA ministers to — or disregards — the acute psychic strains sometimes faced by intelligence officers like him, or more broadly, about how it oversees the larger deep-cover corps of which he was a part."

    Are we really concerned about the psychic abilities of our spies, or is this gross editing that should be psychological strains? Has MK-Ultra percolated throughout the spy agencies to the points spies are psychic now? I want more details on that please

  • by piombisallow on 8/28/24, 4:27 PM

    Why do journalists like writing these endless articles about mental health?

  • by wry_discontent on 8/28/24, 5:08 PM

    Imagine feeling bad for the CIA in this day and age. They deserve what they get.

  • by P_I_Staker on 8/28/24, 6:07 PM

    I lament every day that my skills as a spy aren't put to the test. Whe nyou imagine spying, you think of james bond gunchases in your car. I definitely have proven my skills in the area, but this is NOT where a genius places his mind.

    He places it into his langages and perfectioning the disguise. A spy has many outfits. A spy doesn't shop at the gap.

    Ultimately an ingagement like this would cost me nothing. To the government it would be everything. Spying aint cheep. $1k and hour, plus the expenses. Desent spy gear, oh I must.

    Part of the problems is the alphebet agents switched the low budget, "bargin bin" spys. The last jumook I spoken too barely understand the words of english let alone parsiki. He'll never get inside a local. I get welcome the home. Warm bread and pastry from scratch.