Event: CNA National Security Seminar Series – Feb. 9

February 9, noon - 1:30 p.m. — Ali Soufan, author of The Black Banners is a former FBI Supervisory Special Agent who investigated complex international terrorism cases, including the East Africa Embassy Bombings, the attack on the USS Cole, and the events surrounding 9/11.

During his career with the FBI, Soufan frequently operated in hostile environments and carried out sensitive missions and high-level negotiations, often collaborating with counterparts in the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Soufan also served on the Joint Terrorist Task Force, FBI New York Office, where he coordinated both domestic and international counterterrorism operations.

Soufan presently heads the Soufan Group and serves as executive director of the Qatar International Academy for Security Studies. He is also a visiting senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

Soufan has been profiled in, and contributor to numerous publications, including the New Yorker, Newsweek, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Straits Times, and Asharq Alawsat. He holds degrees in International Studies and Political Science from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and received a Master of Arts in International Relations from Villanova where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.