In New Book, FDD Senior Fellow Barbara Newman Exposes Hezbollah Terror Cells on U.S. Soil

Washington, D.C. (Feb. 24, 2005) – Barbara Newman, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, is the co-author of the powerful new book Lightning Out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil, which exposes the presence of Hezbollah terror cells in more than a dozen major U.S. cities.

These are no mere “sleeper cells,” as Newman shows in recounting the investigation and prosecution of Hezbollah terrorists in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Instead, the Charlotte cell ran a sophisticated smuggling ring to fund Hezbollah's global operations and was actively recruiting and preparing for attacks.

Hezbollah, which until the 9/11 al-Qaeda attacks had killed more Americans than any other terror group, was founded in Lebanon with Iranian support and continues to be a pawn of the Iranian regime – a grave concern as tensions over Iran's nuclear weapons programs continue to rise.  Senior U.S. officials have rated Hezbollah as more dangerous than al-Qaeda.

Senator Joe Lieberman says, “Lightning out of Lebanon is an eye opener.  The book reads like a novel but documents in detail how operatives of what many call the ‘A-Team of Terrorism' have taken advantage of our freedoms, legal loopholes, and defense weaknesses to set up support cells in communities all over America.”

Lightning Out of Lebanon was written with co-author Tom Diaz and published by Random House's Presidio Press.  It will be available in stores and online March 1, 2005. 

Barbara Newman is the author of Covenant: Love and Death and Beirut and is an experienced investigative journalist, formerly with ABC News' 20/20 and NPR's All Things Considered.  She is currently a Senior Fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a policy institute focused on defeating terrorism and promoting democracy.

Barbara Newman is available for interviews to discuss the book, including:

• How and why U.S. citizens are being targeted by Hezbollah;
• The 14 American cities where Hezbollah is known to have active cells;
• How Hezbollah has exploited U.S. immigration laws to place terrorists among us;
• Why Iran views Hezbollah terror cells as a weapon against U.S. civilians;
• How a few visionary heroes in the FBI, local law enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney's office broke the Charlotte cell; and
• What needs to be done to remove Hezbollah's threat from U.S. soil.