Recap: “The Targeter: How to Hunt Terrorists”

A woman wearing a gray blazer speaks to a man on a blue stage during a public program.
Photo by Monika Graff

Last week, Nada Bakos spoke about her time as a former CIA analyst and targeting officer in a public program at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Author of The Targeter: My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House, Bakos was ultimately charged with finding terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

In conversation with Cliff Chanin, executive vice president and deputy director for museum programs, Bakos reflected on her experience in the CIA and provided an in-depth look at the necessary intelligence work undertaken by the United States. In the clip below, Bakos talks about the specific environments in which extremism takes hold.

“Ultimately, extremism, whether it’s from white nationalists or Islamic extremists, it grows and it flourishes within certain environments,” said Bakos. “When it’s permissible for them to grow and flourish, they will. You will find attractors to those ideologies.”

A video clip from the public program "The Targeter: How to Hunt Terrorists"

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You can view the full program here. Find out more about the fall 2019 public programming season at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

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