Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of Bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State

This is a highly informative and compelling book on some of the major Sunni Islamic extremist groups. The author is head of the Soufan Group, a private security consulting firm, and a former FBI agent who was involved in investigating several high-profile terrorism episodes in the United States and abroad. Soufan's first book, The Black Banners, remains one of the most insightful books in English on al-Qaeda. He began to study and follow the exploits of the Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden and his emergent terrorist organization, al-Qaeda, long before the 9/11 attacks. In this book, the author expands upon the theme of his earlier work through the stories of several key Sunni Islamic radicals, including bin Laden himself. Through these stories, the author takes the reader inside the mind set of individuals such as Saif al-Adel (bin Laden's security chief), Ayman al-Zawahiri (bin Laden's deputy and successor), Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant who founded the terrorist organization that later became the Islamic State (IS), the group's current leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and many members of bin Laden's inner circle.