Second Wave cover art

Second Wave

Inside Al Qaeda's Post-9/11 Attack Plan and America's Secret Effort to Stop It

Pre-order free with Premium Plus
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Second Wave

By: Michael Lebowitz
Narrated by: Chris Monteiro
Pre-order free with Premium Plus

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Pre-order for $30.60

Pre-order for $30.60

A deadlier sequel to 9/11—and the race inside the CIA, FBI, and pentagon to stop it

In 2003, United States intelligence uncovered evidence that al Qaeda had acquired nuclear materials, plotting to smuggle them into American ports. The "Second Wave" threat triggered one of the most urgent and secretive manhunts in United States history.

With the cinematic intensity of Zero Dark Thirty and the investigative depth of The Looming Tower, Michael Lebowitz captures post-9/11 chaos and drama: agents risking everything to prevent another catastrophe, families torn apart, and the ethical fault lines still dividing United States intelligence.

Listeners meet Pakistani-American industrialist Saifullah Paracha, whose import-export business concealed ties to al Qaeda; Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, architect of 9/11; Majid Khan, a Baltimore gas-station clerk turned jihadist who mapped United States targets; an FBI interrogator who broke suspects faster than any waterboard; and an Orthodox Jewish garment importer whose betrayal helped avert disaster. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, Lebowitz's account reveals a global pursuit that tested America's moral limits and asks: Are we as prepared today as we were then?

©2026 Michael Lebowitz
Military
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.