Information needed through covert means: Information needed to be gathered through covert means is of only two types:

First: Information about government personnel, officers, important personalities, and all matters related to those (residence, work place, times of leaving and returning, wives and children, places visited)

Second: Information about strategic buildings, important establishments, and military bases.  Examples are important ministries such as those of Defense and Internal Security, airports, seaports, land border points, embassies, and radio and TV stations.

General security measures that should be taken by the person gathering information:  During the process of gathering information,  whether about governing personalities or establishments,  the person doing the gathering must take the following security measures:
 

1. Performing the exercises to detect surveillance while executing the mission.  These exercises are not well defined, but are dependent on the time, place, and the
ability to be creative.  These exercises include the following:

a. Walking down a dead-end street and observing who is walking behind you.  Beware of traps.

b. Casually dropping something out of your pocket and observing who will pick it up.

c . Walking fast then stopping suddenly at a corner and observing who will be affected.

d. Stopping in front of store windows and observing who is-watching you.

e. Getting on a bus and then getting off after it departs and observing who will be affected.

f. Agreeing with one of your brothers to look for whoever is watching you.

2. When receiving the gathered information, let the informants travel as far as possible from their place of residence and yours.  Let each of them get there using secondary roads, preferably at night.

3. Gather what information you can without emphasizing any particular part.  Do not rush or show urgency because your excitement may uncover you and the degree of importance of the information.

4. Avoid anything that reveals your identity quickly.  Do not attempt to be too creative or inventive.   Remember what Taliran [PHI said to his political emissaries, “Do not be anxious.”

5 . Move slowly and travel a great distance.  The one who is successful in gathering information is the one who is not known or conspicuous.

6 . Do not accept events at their face value.  Do not overlook a quick friendship or an apparent dispute.  Evaluate the importance of events and do not judge them by their appearance.

7 . Do not speak vaguely or act mysteriously except when wanting to get a "blabber mouth" to talk about what he knows.

8 . Carry personal credentials and know all their contents.

9. Prior to collecting the information, make sure that all necessities related to the mission, especially money, are ready.

10. Study the area where information-gathering takes place carefully: Open and closed streets, residents' customs, ways of dressing, and accent.

11. It is not permitted to carry any weapons during the information-gathering process.

12. Finding a cover prior to gathering the information.

Further, review all security measures concerning members of the Military [Organization] which are covered in prior lessons.

Methods of Gathering Information Using Covert Means:

The Military Organization may obtain secret information using: A. Surveillance, intelligence, and observation; B. Theft: C. Interrogation; D. Excitement; E. Drugging; F. Recruitment.

A. Surveillance, Intelligence, and Observation: Civilian and military targets (personalities).The monitoring may be done on foot or by car.  Surveillance on foot:

 
1. The brother or brothers performing the surveillance operation on foot study the available information about the target (height, weight, way of walking, looking at a recent photograph)

2. Knowing the target's habits, places he visits, and  communications

3. Studying carefully the area where observation will take place: names of through and dead-end streets, residents' habits and way of dressing.

4. Prior to the start of the surveillance mission, making sure that all needs related to the mission, especially money, are met.

5 . Agreeing on how communications with the leaders will take place in case the surveillance plan is uncovered (telephone, a person used for that purpose).  The telephone number should not be written but memorized.

6 . Agreeing on special signals to exchange orders and
instructions among the surveillance team members.

7. Knowing the measures to be taken when the target is lost, such as contacting the leaders or something else agreed upon.

8 . It is not permitted to carry any weapons during the information - gathering process.

9 . It is preferable to have a camera with the surveillance man in case the target is to personally contact others.
 

Surveillance by car requires taking certain measures:

1. Inspecting the car's fuel, water, and lights.

2. The car should be of a common type so it would not attract people's attention.

3  .The car should be in good condition and the driver should be experienced.

4 . The car plates should not contain real numbers.  It is important to use a false license plate and small numbers in order to prevent anyone from spotting and memorizing it.

5 . The car's interior light should be disabled in order to hide the identity of the surveillance team members sitting inside.

6 . The number and appearance of the car surveillance team members should match those of the target's car.

1. The car being used for surveillance should keep up with the target’s car during the surveillance operation, especially in crowded areas and on side streets.  The distance between the two cars depends on the circumstances.

2 . If the target gets out of his car and starts to walk,one of the surveillance team members should get out and observe him.

3. Follow all aforementioned measures for surveillance on
foot.

1. The surveillance car speeds up then stops suddenly while observing which other car is affected (this is done where there is not a lot of traffic).

2. The surveillance car enters a dead-end street.

3. The surveillance car goes in the opposite direction of traffic.

4 . The surveillance car stops and goes backwards.

5. [The surveillance car] enters a parking lot and immediately goes out.

6.[The surveillance car] takes a side road and stops.

The Organization’s command needs detailed information about the enemy’s vital establishments, whether civilian or military, in order to make safe plans, reach firm decisions, and avoid surprises.  Thus, the individual who gathers information about a desired location should, in addition to drawing a diagram, describe it and all its details.

The Drawing: The brother should draw a diagram of the area, the street, and the location which is the target of the information- gathering.  He should describe its shape and characteristics. The drawing should be realistic so that someone who never saw the location could visualize it.  It is preferable to also put  on the drawing the directions of traffic, police stations, and security centers.

The Description: It is necessary to gather as much information about the location as possible.  For instance:

1. Traffic directions and how wide the streets are

2. Transportation leading to the location

3. The area, appearance, and setting of the place

4. Traffic signals and pedestrian areas

5. Security personnel centers and government agencies

6. Embassies and consulates

7. The economic characteristics of the area and traffic congestion times

8. Public parks

9. Amount and location of lighting

The description of the base or camp must contain the following:

1. Location

2. Exterior shape

3 .Transportation to it

4. Space [area ]

5. Weapons used

6. Unit using the camp

7. Fortifications and tunnels

8. Guard posts

9. Amount and periods of lighting 10. Number of soldiers and officers.  Officers ’ranks

11. Ammunition depot locations

12. Vehicles and automobiles

13. Leave policy

14. Commander’s name, rank, arrival and departure times

15. Degree and speed of mobilization

16. Brigades and names of companies

17. Sleeping and waking times

18. Telephone lines and means of communication

The brother gathering the information may start a friendship with one of the soldiers or officers of that base.  Information may be collected gradually and easily from soldiers when giving them rides from the camp to the bus or train stations, etc.

B. Gathering Information Through Interrogation:  Security personnel in our countries arrest brothers and obtain the needed information through interrogation and torture.

The Military Organization must do likewise.  On one hand,
the Organization can obtain important information about enemy establishments and personnel.  On the other hand, that is a form of necessary punishment.

Information is collected in this method by kidnapping an enemy individual, interrogating him, and torturing him.

This source of information is not permanent.  Also, caution should be exercised about being deceived by misinformation from enemy individuals.  Thus, the brother who interrogates the hostage should possess the following characteristics:

1. Should have knowledge and expertise about people's behavior and morals.

2. Should have a strong personality.

3. Should possess a sixth sense based on practice and experience.

4. Should be extremely patient.

5 . Should be able to act, pretend, and mask himself.

6. Should be intelligent, observant, analytical, and deductive.

7. Should be able to establish an investigative plan.

C. Gathering Information Through Recruitment: Recruiting agents is the most dangerous task that an enlisted brother can perform.  Because of this dangerous task,  the brother may be killed or imprisoned.  Thus, the recruitment task must be performed by special types of members.

There are a number of motives that might entice an uncommitted person to take part in intelligence work. These motives are:

1. Coercion and entanglement

2. Greed and love for money

3. Displaying courage and love of adventure

4 . Love of amusement and deviance

5. Mental and political orientation

6. Fear of being harmed

The Organization may use motives No. 2, 3, 5, and 6 in recruitment.

Candidates for Recruitment Are:

1. Smugglers

2. Those seeking political asylum

3. Adventurers

4. Workers at coffee shops, restaurants, and hotels

5. People in need

6. Employees at borders, airports, and seaports

Types of Agents Preferred by The American Intelligence Agency [CIA ]:

1. Foreign officials who are disenchanted with their country's policies and are looking towards the U.S. for guidance and direction.

2 . The ideologist (who is in his county but against his government)is considered a valuable catch and a good candidate for American Intelligence Agency [CIA ].

3. Officials who have a lavish lifestyle and cannot keep up using their regular wages, or those who have weaknesses for women, other men, or alcoholic beverages.  The agent who can be bought using the aforementioned means is an easy target, but the agent who considers what he does a noble cause 'is difficult to recruit by enemy intelligence.

4 . For that purpose, students and soldiers in Third World countries are considered valuable targets.  Soldiers are the dominating and controlling elements of those countries.

Recruitment Stages: Suppose the Islamic Organization, with its modest capabilities, wants to obtain information about an important target (important personality, building, camp, agency, ministry).  It has to do the following:

1. Finding the Agent: In this stage, the Organization picks the suitable person f o r supplying the information.  The Organization learns about that person: His financial condition, his family status, his position regarding the government, and his weaknesses and strengths.

2 . Evaluating the Agent: In this stage, the agent is placed under continuous observation to learn the times of his departure to and return from work, the places he visits, the individuals he meets, and his social interaction with those that he meets in coffee shops, clubs, etc.

3. Approaching the Agent: After gathering information about him, a relationship with him is developed under a certain cover, such as:

a. Family connection and tribal relations.

b. Developing a friendship with him in the club, coffee
shop, and workers union.  The [recruiting] brother develops the friendship as if it were unpretentious and unplanned.  The relationship should develop naturally and gradually in order not to attract the target’s attention.

4. Recruiting the Agent: After finding, evaluating, and approaching a target, comes the second stage of recruiting him.  Recruiting may be direct, that is, telling the agent frankly about working for the Organization for a specific and agreed-upon salary.  A promise is secured in writing or verbally.

Or recruitment may be indirect, that is, information may be taken from the target without informing him that he is an agent.   That may be accomplished by giving him gifts, sharing his joys and sorrows, and attempting to solve his problems.

5. Testing the Agent: In this stage, the agent is assigned certain tasks in order to test his ability, loyalty, and dependability.  The agent does not know that the Organization already has the sought information.  If the information supplied by the agent does not match the Organization’s existing information, then the agent may be an unreliable source of information or may be trying to mislead the Organization.  During the testing stage, the agent should remain under careful observation to spot all his movements.

6. Training the Agent: This stage applies to the recruited agent, that is, the agent who has been recruited directlyand is aware that he has been recruited by someone or some organization for money or other things.  That agent: may be trained on the following:

a. Work secrecy and means of gathering and hiding information

b. The method of passing information on to officials

c. Concealment and disguising

d. Interrogation and resisting the interrogation

e. Explaining the assigned mission in utmost detail

f. Photography

There might not be any training at all.  The agent may be given freedom in his work, relying on his instinct, talents, background, and the capabilities of his superior brother.

7 .Treating the Agent: The brother who manages the agent should possess the qualifications of a perfect spy, a psychiatrist, and an interrogator.  There are two points of view on treating the agent:

First Point of View:  Maintaining a strong personal relationship with the agent.  This technique provides the agent with the motivation that entices him to take chances in order to please his friend with the information.   However,  this technique has disadvantages.  The barriers between the agent and his superiors are removed, and the agent may ask for many things that were not agreed upon.

Second Point of View:  The person managing the agent treats him roughly and pushes him to the limits for the purpose of getting as much information as possible.  This technique uses harshness, cruelty, and threats in order to keep theagent constantly active.  I believe that the Islamic
Military organization can combine the two techniques.  The agent may be treated in a careful Islamic manner, while the managing brother appeals to the agent's conscience and his Islamic association with the work for majestic Allah's religion.  He lures the agent with money and gifts, and uses cruelty and kindness when appropriate.
 

8. Terminating the Agent ’s Services:  That should occur when any of the following take place:

a. The recruitment mission terminates,

b. Incapacity to work because of sickness or changes in the job situation,

c. Repeated errors in security measures,

d. The agent requests the termination.

1. Requesting specific information that the Organization knows well,

2. Monitoring him while he performs his covert work,

3. Overpaying him in order to know his trustworthiness,

4. Giving him a chance to tamper with the work documents (unimportant documents).

Important Advice About Dealing with Agents:

1. Do not send sealed packages to the agent or receive them from him.  These could be booby traps.

2. Leaving something for the agent should be done as quickly as possible.  When transporting and giving an item to the at the agreed-upon location, it should not attract attention and lead to the agent's arrest.

3. The financial status of the agent should be controlled so agent that the agent does not suddenly show great wealth.  A portion of the payment should be given to him, while the other should be deposited in his bank account.

4. When wishing to recruit an agent, events should occur naturally.  You may agree with a friend that he invite the person to be recruited for dinner, or something similar.  While that intermediary person is talking with him, he notices your arrival at your friend ’s, greets you, starts to converse with you, and invites you to sit down with the person you want to recruit.

5 . When meeting with the agent, make sure neither you or the meeting place are being monitored.  Do not enter a place to meet with an agent before he does.  There could be a trap for you.

6 . If you wait for your agent at the agreed-upon location, you could be a target for him.  Be especially careful if he goes to the bathroom.  Once, in Belgium, an Israeli Mossad officer met an Arab agent.  A few minutes after they sat down, the Arab agent said that he had to go get something.  When he returned, the Israeli intelligence agent was still there.  The Arab agent then pulled out a pistol and shot the Mossad agent several times.

7 . In order to communicate with the agent, it is necessary to specify locations such as parks, a university campus area, etc.

8  .It is necessary to continuously communicate with the agent, to learn about his problems and requests, help him as much as possible, lift his morale, and renew his confidence.