Al-Qaeda's Revenge - by Fernando Reinares (Paperback)

About the Book

Fernando Reinares tells the story of 3/11--the March 11, 2004, bombings of commuter trains in Madrid, which killed 191 people and injured more than 1,800. His full analysis links the Madrid bombings to al-Qaeda's senior leadership and unveils connections between 3/11 and 9/11.

Book Synopsis

In Al-Qaeda's Revenge: The 2004 Madrid Train Bombings, Fernando Reinares tells the story of "3/11" - the March 11, 2004, bombings of commuter trains in Madrid, which killed 191 people and injured more than 1,800. He examines the development of an al-Qaeda conspiracy in Spain from the 1990s through the formation of the 3/11 bombing network beginning in March 2002, and discusses the preparations for and fallout from the attacks. Reinares draws on judicial, police, and intelligence documents to which he had privileged access, as well as on personal interviews with officials in Spain and elsewhere. His full analysis links the Madrid bombings to al-Qaeda's senior leadership and unveils connections between 3/11 and 9/11.

Al-Qaeda's Revenge, Spain's counterpart to The 9/11 Commission Report, was a bestseller in Spain.

Review Quotes

Al-Qaeda's Revenge is a thoroughly researched and well-presented case study on the evolution of the 3/11 network.--Small Wars Journal

Al-Qaeda's Revenge is one of the most important books written on the subject of radical Islamic terrorism in Europe and North America since 9/11. No other book has taken such an in-depth look at the way a plot was conceived and how a conspiracy of plotters came together to execute their plan. This kind of patient reconstruction of a terror attack is a model for intelligence and security services around the world to emulate to better understand the challenges they face.--from the foreword by Bruce Riedel, director of the Intelligence Project, Brookings Institution

An excellent, well-sourced monograph analyzing the March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks on four commuter trains in Madrid, Spain.--Parameters

An impressive piece of research, the implications of which stretch well beyond a single event more than a dozen years ago.--The Economist

Authoritative....Reinares brings his formidable investigative skills to prove that the 3-11 attacks were not the work of home-grown extremists enraged by Spanish involvement in the Iraq war.--Terrorism and Political Violence

Fernando Reinares likely has written the definitive book on the origins of March 11.--El Pais

Helps[s] to cast a clearer light on the past and its links to the present, and how persistent and dangerous the terrorist threat that we face from violent Islamic groups, and Al-Qaeda in particular, remains.--Rusi Journal

High marks for the depth of research, the quality of analysis, and the accuracy of its often complex results.--Intelligence Analysis and Reporting

The book by Prof. Reinares constitutes the definitive work on the 11 March bombings.--Terrorism and Political Violence

The most clear-headed and well-documented book on March 11.--El Mundo

The most rigorous book on the 2004 Madrid train bombings.--Jorge Dezcallar, former director of Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI), Spain's intelligence service

This book will help educate experts and nonexperts about the operational methods of terrorist organizations. In particular it establishes parallels and comparisons with the September 11 attacks and the July 2005 London attacks.--Luis Bitencourt, National Defense University

This is a must-read for counterterrorism authorities and concerned citizens alike.--Foreign Affairs

Ultimately, Reinares makes his case using criminal linkages, established networks, and an apparent revenge motive...Reinares's work tells us what it truly was with considerable conviction.--MCU Journal

About the Author

Fernando Reinares is director of the Program on Global Terrorism at the Elcano Royal Institute, as well as professor of political science and security studies at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, both in Madrid. He coedited, with Bruce Hoffman, The Evolution of the Global Terrorist Threat: From 9/11 to Osama bin Laden's Death (Columbia, 2014). He is a Global Fellow of the Wilson Center, where he was a Public Policy Scholar in 2011, and he is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and American University in Washington.