Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War

by Jake Tapper

“Not only riveting to read but also shines an essential light on the quest for justice in the modern age of terrorism.” —David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon

In this thrilling true story, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jake Tapper uncovers an investigation—unlike any other in American history—to lock up a dangerous terrorist before he’s set free.

June 2011: The case has been cold for nearly ten years when a terrorist fleeing the Arab Spring turns himself in and confesses to killing American soldiers in Afghanistan. This brazen act sets off an unlikely chain of events that puts the entirety of the American justice system to the test. They have the killer, but no evidence to prove the murders happened.

Determined to deliver justice, a team led by federal prosecutors Dave Bitkower and Shreve Ariail must traverse the globe, uncovering facts across thousands of miles and tracing shocking plots of terror in order to prevent tragedy from striking again.

Through intense reporting and meticulous recreation, Race Against Terror shows a man radicalized to enact violence, courageous soldiers who risked their lives for each other, and the diverse set of men and women who work tirelessly to stay one step ahead of disaster. In this gripping narrative history CNN’s Jake Tapper reveals the true costs of the War on Terror and delivers a salient warning for the increasing threats of extremism we face to this day.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, True Crime, Espionage, Military Fiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Jake Tapper is the best-selling author of six books, his most recent being All the Demons Are Here, to be published July 11, 2023 by Little Brown & Co.

On April 24, 2018, Little, Brown and Company published Tapper's first novel, a political thriller entitled The Hellfire Club. The novel follows a fictitious freshman Congressman discovering corruption and conspiracy in 1950s Washington, at the height of the McCarthy era. The book debuted at Number 3 on the New York Times Best-Seller List for Hardcover fiction, and remained on the Best-Seller list for four weeks total. The Associated Press called The Hellfire Club "insightful...well-written and worthwhile." Tablet Magazine called the novel "startlingly good." USA Today said the author "sizzles" and "proves he has the page-turning knack in his entertaining debut novel."

The sequel to The Hellfire Club, The Devil May Dance, was released in May 2021, and continues the story of the lives of Charlie and Margaret Marder.

Tapper is also the author of The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, a critically acclaimed book about U.S. troops in Afghanistan that debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction. Bob Woodward described the book as "Brilliant, dedicated reporting by a journalist who goes to ground to get the truth. A sad, real tale about this war, America and the brave warriors who live—and die—at the point of the spear" and Jon Krakauer called it "a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book."

In 2014, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society recognized Tapper for the book and his reporting on military topics in general with the Tex McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism. A Rod Lurie-directed film adaptation of The Outpost was released in July 2020, starring Milo Gibson, Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones.

In addition to The Outpost, Tapper is the author of Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency, based on the 2000 Presidential election, that The Washington Post called "lively", the Chicago Tribune "a churning effusion well worth reading" and The Daily Telegraph "engrossing". He also wrote Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story (St. Martin's Press) that was excerpted by The Washington Post Magazine.

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are thinking about skipping this review because the book has Jake Tapper's name on it, then please humor me for a minute. I generally try to keep my reviews focused on the book I am reviewing, but I would be remiss not to bring up the fact that yes, this is Tapper's second release of 2025, and yes, the other one gave people big feelings. Generally, people were enraged but for many different reasons which I guess is progress. For the record, I enjoyed Original Sin, which was about the Biden administration, but I also understand the criticisms. However, what does get lost in the controversy is that Tapper is a hell of a writer. This book is yet another example.

Divorced (mostly) from today's fraught political environment is his newest release Race Against Terror. The story follows an Al Qaeda terrorist who traveled to Afghanistan and killed American service members. After various other murderous misadventures, he ends up in Italian court. Our story takes off from there as the U.S. attempts to bring him to justice in a criminal court. I won't spoil any plot points and leave it there.

Two aspects of the story came off exceptionally well and made this a must read for me. First, the back and forth on how to deal with terrorists legally is a huge part of this story. Is what happens on a battlefield even something a court should be litigating? What type of court procedures should be used if you do? Tapper dives into all of this without putting the reader to sleep. There is discussion of post 9/11 activities including Gitmo and torture. Tapper clearly makes his abhorrence for torture clear, but every other aspect of the conversation is handled with nuance and clear eyed discussion. Tapper recognizes that doing the right thing is not always a black and white conversation.

The second aspect which Tapper excels at is his dealing with the stories of the American service members and their families. I am an Iraq War vet, and I am highly sensitive to the way authors approach these situations. I am equally turned off by blatant pandering as much as unfair characterizations. What I can say from my perspective is that Tapper really listened to people when they talked. There are terms and words which I know came directly from people who fought in theater. I can't even count how many times I read a book which tries to use military lingo and thinking but it comes off fake because the author is trying too hard to sound real. Tapper's translation of the military aspects and his focus on the right things (as defined by me, it's my review, and I say what I want) is truly singular.

In summary, if you skip this one because of Original Sin, you will be missing out on a great book.

(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by NetGalley and Atria Books.)

[Bree Dyer]

This book tells the story of how the US prosecuted Spin Ghul, an Al-Qaeda terrorist, in the US. I don’t typically rate non-fiction but this was a really well done narrative non-fiction. There were a lot of facts & a lot of characters in this story but I never had a hard time keeping people or the timeline straight. In the end, Tapper told a compelling story that had me flying through the book.

If you enjoy narrative non-fiction and want to read a compelling story about the US’s legal tactics in fighting terrorism, I’d recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for my eARC!

[Vmndetta ᛑᛗᛛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of people are in a race to lock up a dangerous terrorist who claims he's responsible for killing American soldiers. The process isn't easy at all. It all starts with a short call, and from there, everything just keeps getting harder. And not only Bitkower and Shreve, more and many people involved; like FBI special agent Raushaunah Muhammad and a team member, Bert LaCroix.

The book takes us here and there, from America to Italy, showing how complicated the whole process is to bring Spin Ghul to the U.S. to face justice. The terrorist himself isn't exactly easy to deal with either, which makes the team work twice as hard to figure things out. The good thing is, everyone who appears in this story gets a fair and meaningful part. Also stories told from the POV of the soldiers who fought in that specific war. Everything's written neatly and fits together nicely.

Not the kind of book I usually read. But oh, I do enjoyed it. Some words and parts might be a bit hard to understand but it never feels too boring or too heavy.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was he working to get people to forget the trash Biden book? How he as a journalist failed in his job? Seems a quick turnaround publish.

[David Jonescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read a few Jake Tapper books before, I knew to expect a mix of narrative storytelling and facts all together. In this book, he weaves a legal case with a war narrative and the history of US policy in the last 25 years. Overall, this book is what I would have expected from Tapper. It is a good book to read and very enjoyable.

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Thrillers R Us · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lollapalooza provided the hydrazine that propelled a niche band formed in 1991 Los Angeles into the stratosphere. Focusing on social and political rebellious themes and spending a lot of time filling out song lists on movie soundtracks in the 1990s, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE did their metal/rap thing with self-immolating aplomb (like the monk of Vietnam War fame who's image graced their eponymous debut album) to critical and popular acclaim, receiving triple platinum certification and the band's eventual entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In his own RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE that he helps maintain as cable news anchor with a network that probably saw its heyday in the previously mentioned decade, Jake Tapper is doing his CNN best to balance the karma scale with RACE AGAINST TERROR, a shining example of federal law enforcement and American jurisprudence. Delving into the darkest corners of the terrorist underworld, RACE AGAINST TERROR is the tale of building a legal case against one of America's identified enemies emerging in GWOT, a herculean effort to bridge time, jurisdictions, continents and violence to stay one step ahead of disaster.

Three years into the post-Bush era and in the aftermath of Seal TEAM Six doing their thing in Abbottabad, RACE AGAINST TERROR takes readers all the way back to the year 2011, the Wild West days in the Sandbox. In particular, the SNAFU that ruled Libya during that time to allow for one tango dirtbag to be sluiced into the wave of refugees SCARFACE Marielitos-style and promptly sounded the silent alarm in the Violent Crime and Terrorism section of the US Attorney office, Eastern District of New York. So much for not feeding terror prisoners from West Africa after midnight. For two unsuspecting lawyers enjoying their Venti latte it would be the most difficult case of their careers with life-and-death consequences. They were, after all, dealing with the new dregs of leadership in terror networks once depleted by US military efforts. THE BURDEN OF PROOF would be steep, and given all parties involved from Niger, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Italy, Nigeria, Libya plus foreign diplomats and intelligence agencies, the level of cooperation and succinct action would be in deft inverse correlation. They wouldn't be overpaid to do paralegal work of shuffling papers, filing motions or appealing to judges and juries; they'd have to sleuth and become counterterrorism detectives. Alternatively, it was also possible that they were on a fool's errand with a slim chance of getting their suspect into LOCK UP. It was all about getting lucky. Creating and ushering in an almost entirely new legal framework and language to coincide with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, luck was on their side.

In an effort to protect the American public, RACE AGAINST TERROR asserts that law enforcement maintained a facade of confidence and composure in the war on terror and often benefited from the vagaries of evil-doer stupidity. As such, it's unclear what Jake Tapper aims to do with this book; a triumphant chronicle of government might, portray the bumblings of Keystone Cops-like law enforcement re: prosecuting terror suspects, deliver an expose of GWOT overreach, or present a wacky story of an international manhunt that he thinks would make a fantastic movie. It appears that the author has a big problem, as he writes not to tell a story, but to sound smart, or well informed. There is precious little here for a book with Tapper resorting back to a winning formula--dressing up After Action Reports and live interviews with journo pizzazz, like THE OUTPOST. RACE AGAINST TERROR seems written in a sensationalist fashion, as if with a sharp side-eye towards getting optioned by Hollywood and turned into a movie. In SPY VS SPY fashion, RACE AGAINST TERROR is in black and white, the lawyer part which is interesting and the military section, where it falls apart. However, even as a legal narrative, RACE AGAINST TERROR is neither fascinating or compelling, as it's shaped like a descriptive listing of how the case was approached. John Grisham could've made a killer book with this material. If Jake Tapper's pen was bigger than his ego, RACE AGAINST TERROR would have been more than a misleading title and given readers a great book. Exposing that there's a fine line between zealotry and insanity, that crazy stuff happens in trials, that the US justice system is unpredictable and politics risky, RACE AGAINST TERROR is a labyrinthian challenge of jurisdictions across the world, classified information, and national security ramifications that went beyond one man. It's a world where money, grift, intel, terrorism and hookers mingle outside THE PUBLIC EYE. Race to the store, RACE AGAINST TERROR, take a look. If you're so inclined.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hesitated upon picking this book to enter because he has a different political slant than I do. But it was well organized, researched and skillfully written. So now I will not be so timid about reading Jake Tapper's books.

The focus was on trying to prosecute Spin Ghul. a nom de guerre for Ibrahim Adham Harum, a black religious terrorist trained in an Al Qaeda camp. He came from an area in Saudi Arabia where life for poor black peasants was hopeless. He made his way to Afghanistan to the camp. Training on Uzi s and Ak -74 rifles, he knew that this path lead to death. So he requested to make wasiyya, usually a last will and testement for most Muslims, but for Islamic terrorists, it meant a video tape showing their passion for Jihad and to give to their families if they died.

There is great background of the AUSAs who worked on the case. For myself, I enjoyed working witrh AUSAs in the Federal government and it was an exciting peek into their lives.

Another focus was on Jerod Dennis from Antlers, Oklahoma, His parents had an ugly split up while he was a kid. Maybe for attention, he became a class clown but probably growing up in a broken family was very hard on his and he wanted to escape. He got into trouble, skipping out on school, getting into drugs. He disappointed his grandmother, he was smart but going down the wrong road. He had a meeting with a recruiter and got excited about that. His family knew the military life was very risky but maybe he would shape up.

Spin Ghul and Jerod Dennis, now nineteen years old were at the same place on a certain day in Afghanistan.

Jake Tapper interviewed so many people over three years to gather the pieces of this story of the two men, the investigators, prosecutors and defenders together into a coherent and exciting story.

I would recommend this book to learn more about terrorism and the legal aspects of procecution and much more.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Race Against Terror is a fascinating book that tells the story of two prosecutors who seek to bring justice for the deaths of American soldiers by prosecuting a known Al Qaeda terrorist in a US criminal court. The book opens with the terrorist, known as Spin Ghul (not his birth name), being temporarily held by Italian authorities after acting odd on a cruise ship, The Excelsior. Things develop and the Americans are called in.

I immediately appreciated that this book would open my eyes to things I’d never considered once Tapper discussed the race the Americans had to run to find evidence sufficient to bring charges before the Italians would set him free, as well as the requirements that the Italians placed on transfer that the death penalty would have to be off the table.

The phrase “War on Terror” has been used for years by various news outlets. Tapper does a great job explaining just what that meant in the case of Spin Ghul as he takes us from Ghul’s initial capture all the way through the trial. Readers also get a sense of how differently the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations would each handle terrorists.

Along the way we are introduced to the soldiers who served in Afghanistan as well as certain family members back home. The soldier’s stories are touching and often heartbreaking.

I loved this book and learned a lot. I would definitely be interested in other books written by Jake Tapper.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to Atria Books and Goodreads for the copy provided. The above opinions are my own.

[LindaPf]

Don’t dismiss this excellent non-fiction book about a decade old war narrative and its legal implications because you think you know Jake Tapper from social media commentary. If you’ve never read any of his excellent stories about American servicemen or his clever 1950s DC thriller books, you should. He’s a top notch author who makes non-fiction feel like a suspense thriller.

“Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War“ is a great addition to modern military history. We have a confessed killer who reveals his identity after fleeing the Arab Spring, gleefully bragging about his murder of American soldiers and his importance to Al Qaeda. Spin Ghul, the terrorist, is being held by Italian authorities for minor infractions. At any moment he could slip into Europe. But how does the US deliver individual justice for a war crime when the war hasn’t ended? They have the killer, but no evidence to prove the murders happened.

Federal prosecutors Dave Bitkower and Shreve Airial get the call from the FBI that the Italians have known terrorist Spin Ghul in custody. Tapper follows the grueling process that eventually created a tentative modern standard—prosecuting in US criminal courts foreign terrorists who commit attacks on US servicemembers in war zones, instead of using military tribunals. The book is fascinating and it addresses many threats of extremism and terrorism in the US. As I mentioned, consider this an excellent addition to modern military history. 5 stars!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

[Jodi A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A difficult start but keep reading…

This is strictly my opinion but, like Tom Clancy, it seemed to be bogged down in detail (necessary detail for the book, I do admit). I would say about 1/3 of the way through, it began to flow freely.

What these dedicated prosecutors et al did in indicting (then convicting) “Spin Ghul” for the murders of 2 American soldiers in Afghanistan in 2003 is nothing short of dogged determination. Truly it is.

I mean no disrespect, I do not, but why this terrorist? Yes, he was part of an ambush that killed American soldiers in Afghanistan, but he certainly wasn’t the only one; he was part of the 1998 embassy bombing attempt in Nigeria (as well as the Tanzania and Kenyan attacks). But why this guy? Not that his acts and intent weren’t horrible - they WERE - but I’m just curious.

There was a lot of research that went into this book and it doesn’t disappoint. But as a Tapper fan, this wasn’t my favorite. My first book was “The Outpost” and I’ve been spoiled to excellence ever since. I gave this book a 5 star rating because of all the research and how it all came together. This really wasn’t a book to read for enjoyment. And that is not a criticism.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

The low rating is due to content, not the writing.(Perhaps I should withhold a rating for books like these) The writing is superb, at first I thought it would be a boring book that would be hard to keep up with, but there was no problem staying on track with all of the characters, etc. Jake Tapper does a great job writing, as he does broadcasting. To go from thinking this would be a DNF to not being able to put it down is a testament to great writing.

I have never understood war, and never will, and this book exemplified that. To spend that much time on proving one isolated incident, one battle is mind-boggling. I definitely do not understand the "rules" of war. Looking at it from the other side, the family who lost a loved one, it is more understandable. But, as written in the book, they still do not have their loved one anymore, he is still gone, no matter what the outcome of the trial was. Sad and disheartening.

[Julia ⋆｡°✩ Shipton · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter what you think of Jake Tapper or the network he works for, there's no denying he knocked it out of the park with this one.

Race Against Terror: Claiming an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War opens with the surrender of Spin Ghul, a trained Al Qaeda terrorist. What follows is the extradition, investigation, trial following around the central question: What would happen if the Department of Justice tried to prosecute someone for acting as an enemy combatant in a warzone?

I went into it expecting a lot of moving parts, but Tapper does an amazing job of weaving it all together. From the background information to the real-time investigation and trial it’s told in a way which is hard to put down. Honestly, if I didn’t have work to do, I would have finished it in one go. It’s a narrative nonfiction unlike most I’ve ever read.

I received a free copy of this book from Atria Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling, if dully presented, narrative. Seriously, I thought some parts could have been written better m, and I got some whiplash switching back and forth between time periods. However, Tapper is an excellent journalist and has worked hard to research and tell this story. He also successfully enmeshes it within the larger context of the a war on a terrorism. No doubt this is an early entry in the discussion of what this trial signifies, as the country moves forward.

[Aaron Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

As per usual with Tapper books, he really takes a rather dull subject most wouldn’t really care to look into and turns it into a page turner with his detail, description and laymen’s terms for otherwise complex situations. A book about a terrorist trial wouldn’t be my most exciting recommendation but he has made it so with this. Good work.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my normal read, but I do like Jake Tapper’s style. It is nice to have a non-partisan account of something we hadn’t heard much about, but something that did and will continue to set a precedent in our judicial system.

[Zach Schiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tapper does a mostly good job here, though a lot of the time it felt redundant. However, the one major problem is, it's not just that interesting of a story, no matter how many chapters Tapper dedicates to telling you how unique and fascinating it is.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book at "Texas Tribune Festival" where Jake Tapper was a speaker. It tells the story of "Spin Ghul" who is one of the only terrorist ever tried in American courts. a very interesting read.

[Julia Granato · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was told in an interesting way and I felt it was well written. It could have very easily been a boring book, but Tapper kept me engaged until the end. The book definitely educated me on the war on terror and how Obama tried to handle things differently

[Mayer P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a page turner, Jake does an amazing job blending in the whole law process and how the DOJ constructs and builds a case and bringing the actual story of that tragic day to life with a sprinkle of politics.

[Zoe Zeid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just one story from the war on terror and the author did a great job keeping the writing compelling. He did a good job talking about the terrorist portion but also the American military story. I definitely recommend the audiobook.

[Jillian Melton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this could have been an interesting story, but I thought it was poorly written. A lot of time jumping that got confusing, some parts were extremely detailed that really slowed the book down and the main legal question wasn’t addressed until nearly the end.

[Lydia Wallace · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wouldn't recommend this book. The author has no credibility, therefore I really don't believe anything he says.

[Paul Petcavage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read-I could not put it down !!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Well written. Reads quickly because you just don't want to put the book down. Recommend for anyone that enjoys reading true thrillers.

[Mindi Cofman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing tale of what gives us hope as only Jake Tapper can tell it.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Carri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real life story of terrorism, killing of US military and the prosecution of Spin Guhl- Nigerian Al-queda fighter.

[The Sass Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific Read!

[Anne]

I have really enjoyed Tapper's previous books but this was challenging because of sooo many militaristic issues.

[Kea4 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is extremely boring.
It would have been a better magazine article vs a book. Way too long and boring.
Also the author was part of the MSM and I kept wondering is that even credible in this day and age.