It’s no secret that the 9/11 terror attacks in the US constituted a boon for various enterprises—weapons manufacturers, defence contractors, private security firms—which saw a soaring need for their products and services in the ensuing bellicosity abroad and the fortification of the homeland.
An array of new professional opportunities also sprang up, such as in the field of “terrorism expertise”. The ranks of domestic informants swelled, too, and the FBI currently boasts over 15,000 of them. Many are assigned to Muslim communities.
“Informants”, a new documentary by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit, sheds light on this last component of the 9/11 industry and confirms that we pessimists generally aren’t exaggerating when it comes to US policy.
Convicted con artist Craig Monteilh, one of the informants interviewed in the film, summarises his motive for faking a conversion to Islam in order to enhance his employability by the FBI: “I wanted to be in on the big game, and to be paid top dollar for it.’” READ MORE AT MIDDLE EAST EYE.