Interview: Ex-counterterrorism Agent Fred Burton

Chasing Shadows:

A Special Agent’s Lifelong Hunt To Bring A Cold War Assassin To Justice

By Mark Young

An assassin lurked in the shadows of a quiet Bethesda, Maryland neighborhood in the summer of 1973, patiently waiting for an Israeli air force colonel to return home from a late-night party. Several blocks away lived 16-year-old Fred Burton, whose neighborhood—until this moment—seemed safe and secure.

The gunman opened fire as Col. Joe Alon exited his car. Moments later, the Israeli war hero lay dead. It would be thirty-seven years later before Burton—a State Department counterterrorism agent and later vice president of a global intelligence company known as the ‘shadow CIA’— could finally offer closure to the surviving Alon family. Plagued by a plethora of unanswered questions, Burton and others attacked this case years later, running down leads across the globe that led to terrorist groups, spies and treachery. They would find that this victim was much more than just a gifted pilot.

Chasing Shadows is a true-case story that is more captivating than any fiction Hollywood might conjure up on the big screen. It was written by coauthors Fred Burton and John Bruning.

MARK: Fred, thanks for returning to Hook’em and Book’em for another look at global terrorism and a fascinating glimpse into a case that took you and others years to uncover. A very tenacious effort. Give our readers a little background about this incident and what it meant to you on a personal level.

FRED:  I tried to stay centered over the years by focusing on the murder, looking for facts and motive.  The FBI destroyed the physical evidence in the case for reasons that remain unclear.  Pretty much everyone connected to the original case was dead. 

We've been successful in getting a Hebrew edition published that I'm very proud of for the victims family.  There was also a short film that coincided with the book done by an Israeli film crew. 

MARK: You coauthored Chasing Shadows with writer and military historian John Bruning. How did the two of you work together to create this captivating book?

FRED:  John is a brilliant military historian that is laser focused on aviation.  I needed his expertise.  The victim was a decorated fighter pilot.

MARK: One of the fascinating parts of your book for me—a Vietnam veteran—was the difficulty the USAF faced with North Vietnamese fighter pilots. I found the behind-scenes relationship between the U.S and Israel equally fascinating. How did you and John acquire this information and tie it into your investigation of Alon’s murder?

FRED:  FBI FOIA reports and John's subject matter expertise on military aircraft.  The original FBI case agent also was extraordinarily helpful.  

MARK: Since we last communicated on this blog, much has happened in the Mideast and northern Africa—Egypt, Syria, Libya and other hot spots. Can you share with us some perspective as to what we might expect to see in the near future from organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood?

FRED:  I think the verdict remains out as groups jockey for power.  The events unfolding in Libya are amazing. 

MARK: Can you give us a little background about the Muslim Brotherhood?

FRED:  In the shifting sands of power in the Middle East, one needs to study the old groups, whether it be the MB, Hezbollah or Black September.     

MARK:  As the events of the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden (OBL) unfolded last spring, I couldn’t help but think about the case detailed in your first book, GHOST: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent concerning the capture of terrorist Ramzi Youseff in Pakistan. You made reference in GHOST about the political ramifications you and others faced for keeping the information close to your vest in order to have a chance to capture this man. What were you thoughts about related issues as you watched the OBL news unfold?

FRED:  Mixed emotions.  To be blunt, I would have preferred talking to OBL.  Operationally, I've also learned that one should never second guess the operators in the field.  DevGru (Navy Seal Team 6, official known as Special Warfare Development Group) did a fine job.  Thank goodness our nation has men like that.    I'm also not surprised in the least OBL was hiding in plain sight in Pakistan.  

MARK: I can only imagine what you get involved with as vice president for counterterrorism and corporate security at Statfor. Tells us a little about the services your company  offers.

FRED:  We are an intelligence company that publishes analysis of geo-political events.  I like to say we make sense of the world.  Many of our articles are free and can be found at www.stratfor.com

MARK: Can you tell us a few of the projects you have been involved with through Statfor?

FRED: I've done a great deal of work on cartel violence in Mexico recently, along with interviews for National Geographic TV and The History Channel.   I'm also in a few Gangland productions. 

MARK: Are you planning any more writing projects in the near future?

FRED:  Yes, I'm working on another book about terrorism and have been asked to write a college textbook.   Not sure I have time for the latter, but its humbling to have been asked.    

MARK:Where can readers go to purchase your latest book, CHASING SHADOWS?

FRED:  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any private book store. 

MARK: Thanks again for joining us. We wish you well in your effort with Statfor. Stay safe!

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Fred Burton is one of the world’s foremost experts on security, terrorists, and terrorist organizations. He was deputy chief of the Counterterrorism Division of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and is currently a vice president at Stratfor, a global intelligence agency known as the “shadow CIA.” He is the author of GHOST: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent and has appeared on The Daily Show, Glenn Beck, Anderson Cooper 360, Fox, ABC, and CBS radio. He has also written for the Los Angeles Times, among others. He lives in Austin, Texas.

John Bruning is a military historian and the coauthor of House To House. He lives in Independence, Oregon.

Thank God He Is Dead, But...

By Mark Young

My first reaction to the news last night about the killing of Osama bin Laden was Thank God He Is Dead. But moments later, a Fox News channel switched their cameras to a jubilant crowd gathering in front of the White House, cheering and flashing hand signs as if it was party time. Is this the face of America we want the world to see? Is this the America we have become?

I don’t think so. This is not who we are.

We do not gloat over taking the life of another human being, even of it is that of a notorious terrorist like bin Laden. We do not clank beers with each other in bars, and try to outdo each other in demonstrative, unbecoming behavior. This killing is not an excuse to have a party. Have we become so desensitized by our culture and media that killing others—even mass murders like bin Laden— has no meaning. If this is what we have become as a country, then I must hang my head in shame. I have to believe that this is not who we have become. We are a greater country that what I saw on the screen. We have much to be proud of. We run deeper than the gloating faces I saw flashed on television last night.

I did not lose someone close to me on 9/11, or in any of the other acts of terror this man and his thugs perpetrated on the world. Many people did lose a loved one, a friend, at the hands of this killer. I mourn for all his victims, of all colors, all nationalities, of all countries. I mourn for those of our military who gave the ultimate sacrifice in trying to keep us safe in this war on terror.

Yes, I am proud of  our military and intelligence community who relentlessly hunted this man down for ten years until he was dead. I am proud that our country, after 9/11, began systematically tearing apart these terrorist organizations that are seeking to kill Americans here and abroad. Our country, with our staunch allies like Britain, took this fight to where these killers sought to hide, even as many other countries harangue, mocked and passed judgment on our efforts. I am proud of what has been accomplished as we rose from the ashes of 9/11 and learned to adapt to a swiftly-changing world.

We’ve made mistakes, and at times our country has been divided about the best way to fight this new borderless war. In the midst of war—and make no mistake, that is what terrorists have brought to our shores—it is hard to be perfect, to never stumble and fall at times. Day-to-day decisions in war cannot be made from the quiet retreats of board rooms and classrooms, pondering over all the possible scenarios before taking action. In war, failure to act in a timely manner means you die. This is true for our brave military on the ground in the midst of a firefight, and for our military and government leaders calling the shots from thousands of miles away.

Our military and governmental leaders made the right choice when it came to killing bin Laden. I am sure, over the next few weeks or months, we will learn about the imperfect process by which bin Laden was tracked down and killed. We will hear from others who will argue that we should have scooped this killer up and brought him back to this country to stand trial.We may even learn that undue caution was taken—due to jittery political concerns—that could have jeopardized the mission and allowed bin Laden to escape the trap. This happens midst the throes of war. But jubilation and partying does not factor into the equation. No reasonable people give each other a high-five after taking a life.

Ask any military or police officer about taking a life. Are they jubilant? Did they feel like it was time to have a party? I can tell you first hand this is not how it feels.

Many years ago—in another time, in another war—I took a man’s life. It was the life of a man who mortally wounded my friend and put a bullet in my right arm. Before we pulled back, I and fellow marines shot and killed this man. We had no time or inclination to gloat. We were patrolling along the Ho Chi Minh trail in the jungle mountains along Laos, and needed to pull back before light for fear of becoming surrounded. We carried our dead and wounded with us because we never leave them behind. My friend never made it. It took most of the night for my friend to die as we suppressed his screams.

Was I glad that we killed the man who did this?

Yes.

Did I feel like partying?

No.

Before I left that war, many of those in my platoon would be dead by friendly fire. And I would never be the same again. I grew up that day at the age of eighteen years. I came home much older, trying to figure out what I just lived through. And when I returned, people spit at me and stomped on the flag that my friend fought and died to protect. A waitress dumped a pot of hot coffee in my lap. A couple of good-old-boys tried to run me off the road with their pickup. It was a different, drastically-challenging world back then. Like our own civil war, we became an America that pitted brother against brother, father against son. And for those of us fortunate enough to return from that war, we did not feel like gloating.

When I think of taking a life—any life—I think of that unknown man in the mountains of Vietnam many years ago whose life I ended after he killed my friend. I think of a prison gang member sitting on death row for killing a deputy I worked with many years ago, a prisoner I hope is finally brought to justice by lethal injection. I think of another man who kidnapped, raped and killed a beautiful  little girl, a girl who played with my daughters in my home. Do I want these men dead? Yes. Would I gloat? No.

Contrary to what others may believe, I think our way of life sometimes requires justice to be served by taking the life of another. But America, don’t  gloat and party over that death. That is not who we are. This is not what we represent.

We are a peace-loving country, with blemishes and mistakes in our great history. We are a country that seeks to protect the downtrodden and those who cannot protect themselves. We are a country of laws based upon a constitution, a living document that our forefathers bequeathed to us after they gathered together and took time to pray to almighty God. We are an imperfect system that I believe is the best thing going on this chaos-filled planet.

Yes, I thank God that Osama bin Laden is dead.

Justice has been served. Let us leave it at that and move on.