“people know him as the rapper Deso Dogg”: Much of the account of Denis Cuspert (aka Deso Dogg, Abu Maleek, and later Abu Talha) draws on reporting done by the author in collaboration with Anthony Faiola for the following articles: Souad Mekhennet, “German Officials Alarmed by Ex-Rapper’s New Message: Jihad,” New York Times, September 1, 2011; Anthony Faiola and Souad Mekhennet, “Battle with the Islamic State for the Minds of Young Muslims,” Washington Post, December 19, 2014; and Anthony Faiola and Souad Mekhennet, “From Hip-Hop to Jihad, How the Islamic State Became a Magnet for Converts,” Washington Post, May 6, 2015.
“Deso” being short for “Devil’s Son”: Sarah Kaplan, “‘Jihad Is a Lot of Fun,’ Deso Dogg, a German Rapper Turned Islamic State Pitchman Said. Now He’s Reportedly Dead from U.S. Air Strike,” Washington Post, October 30, 2015.
a stint in juvenile detention: Cuspert was convicted for property crime and bodily harm, unauthorized possession of weapons, and narcotics-related offenses. He spent terms in prison more than once. According to the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Berlin), he used the “street credibility” gained in prison for his later rap music career. See Senatsverwaltung für Inneres und Sport Berlin, “Denis Cuspert—eine jihadistische Karriere,” September 2014, pp. 8–9, http://www.berlin.de/sen/inneres/verfassungsschutz/publikationen/lage-und-wahlanalysen/lageanalyse_denis_cuspert.pdf.
shot and killed two American airmen in Frankfurt: Souad Mekhennet, “Frankfurt Attack Mystifies Suspect’s Family,” New York Times, March 8, 2011; Jack Ewing, “Man Charged in Germany in Killing of U.S. Airmen,” New York Times, July 7, 2011.
le féminisme bourguibien: Samar ElMasri, “Tunisian Women at a Crossroads: Cooptation or Autonomy?” Middle East Policy 22, no. 2 (Summer 2015), http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/tunisian-women-crossroads-cooptation-or-autonomy.
including many jihadists: Haim Malka and Margo Balboni, “Violence in Tunisia: Analyzing Terrorism and Political Violence after the Revolution,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, June 2016, http://foreignfighters.csis.org/tunisia/violence-in-tunisia.html.
11: THREATS
the first Jewish ambassador in the Arab world: Julia Duin, “Bahrain Protests Have Complicated Job for Houda Nonoo, First Jewish Ambassador from an Arab Nation,” Washington Post Magazine, May 26, 2012; “Bahrain Profile—Timeline,” BBC News, September 1, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14541322.
could also be mercurial: Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, “The Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry,” November 23, 2011 (final revision of December 10, 2011), pp. 72–73, http://www.bici.org.bh/BICIreportEN.pdf.
“was concerned for their safety”: Ibid.
After six Bahraini protesters were killed: Ibid., pp. 228–32.
The crown prince waited all night: Ibid., p. 80.
The chances for a fruitful dialogue vanished: The commission concluded, “If HRH the Crown Prince’s initiative to hold a national dialogue at the time had been accepted, it could have paved the way for significant constitutional and political reform in Bahrain.” Ibid., p. 169.
Bill Keller announced that he would step down: Jeremy W. Peters, “Abramson Named Executive Editor at The Times,” New York Times, June 2, 2011. Keller announced his resignation in June 2011 and stepped down in September.
blindfolded, threatened, and tortured with electric shocks: Page 292 of “The Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry” describes the findings of torture: “1213. The medical experts noted that 33 detainees had significant physical marks or symptoms, which the detainees alleged had been caused by mistreatment. The experts identified 19 different methods of mistreatment. The most common were beatings, forced standing for prolonged periods, use of excessively tight handcuffs, exposure to extreme temperatures, head traumas and the use of electric shocks. The experts concluded that physical findings on 32 detainees were highly consistent with mistreatment and traumatic events. The experts also concluded that 15 detainees had significant psychological symptoms or impairments as a result of the alleged mistreatment. Of these 15 detainees, 13 required follow-up treatment. The experts also concluded that the physical findings on 34 detainees were highly consistent with beatings and blunt trauma. In addition, the physical findings on 19 detainees were highly consistent with and even virtually diagnostic of injuries caused by firearms. The physical findings on 22 detainees were highly consistent with the use of painful handcuffs, while the physical findings on 20 other detainees were highly consistent with exposure to extreme temperatures. The experts also found in a number of cases that scars on different parts of the body were consistent with a sound bomb injury as described by the detainee, but these scars were non-specific (i.e., could be produced by different causes). Three cases were highly consistent with cigarette burn scars on different parts of the body.”
who said they’d been attacked by protesters: See page 373 of “The Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry”: “1525. The Commission found sufficient evidence to establish that some expatriates, in particular South Asian workers, were the targets of attacks during the events of February/March 2011. The Commission finds that four expatriates were killed by mob attacks during the events and many were injured. 1526. Pakistanis, in particular, were the target of attacks owing to their membership of some of them in the BDF and police force. Various neighbourhoods where expatriates live in Bahrain were the subject of sporadic attacks. The attacks on expatriates created an environment of fear, resulting in many of them leaving their homes and living in shelters. Other foreign nationals relayed to the Commission that they feared leaving their homes, attending services at their places of worship, or going to work. This caused many foreign nationals economic loss because they were fearful of returning to work and opening their businesses. The attacks on South Asian expatriates also resulted in hundreds of Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Indians fleeing the country.”
on a scholarship from the crown prince’s office: Souad Mekhennet, “Bahrain Women Take Pride in Vital Protest Role,” New York Times, December 20, 2011.
thirty-five people had died: “The Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry,” p. 219.