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64. Terror Strikes London: The Al-Qaeda Mastermind (Ep 3)

64. Terror Strikes London: The Al-Qaeda Mastermind (Ep 3)

The Rest Is Classified
Jul 13, 2025 35 min
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About this episode

He left a video for his daughter before he vanished to Pakistan. A quiet farewell, wrapped in the language of faith and finality. What no one knew was that in the mountains near the Afghan border, he would meet the man who would change everything. In the penultimate episode of our series on the 7/7 Bombings, Gordon and David uncover how two young British men - Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer - crossed a hidden threshold. From idealistic jihadist sympathisers to suicide bombers in waiting. In the lawless tribal belt of Pakistan, they were recruited, trained, and transformed - not by force, but by belief. Listen as we track their journey through the shadows: covert meetings, bomb-making lessons, and the chilling promise that paradise lies after death. This is the moment the 7/7 plot was born - not in London, but in the borderlands of a broken state, under the guidance of a quiet figure with deep ties to al-Qaeda. ------------------- To sign up to The Declassified Club, go to ⁠www.therestisclassified.com⁠. To sign up to the free newsletter, go to: ⁠https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tric-free-newsletter-sign-up⁠ ------------------- Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ nordvpn.com/restisclassified It's risk-free with Nord's 30 day money back guarantee ------------------- Order a signed edition of Gordon's latest book, The Spy in the Archive, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠via this link.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠via this link.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------------------- Email: classified@goalhanger.com Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@triclassified⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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