Former CIA analyst Sarah Adams brings alarming revelations about global security threats in her latest interview. As a co-author of Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy and an experienced intelligence professional, the Sarah Adams interview sheds light on critical gaps in worldwide security systems that demand immediate attention. Those interested in her career and expertise can explore Sarah Adams CIA biography for a deeper understanding of her background and contributions.

The Sarah Adams interview with Shawn Ryan, aired on December 12, 2024, specifically addresses the evolving tactics of Al Qaeda and the concerning roles of China and Russia in terrorist activities. During the Shawn Ryan Sarah Adams interview, she draws from her extensive CIA experience to explain how current geopolitical dynamics are increasingly influenced by non-state actors. The Sarah Adams Shawn Ryan interview also explores historical events like Benghazi, offering unique insights into the complexities of global security challenges.

The Sarah Adams Interview: Inside the Mind of a CIA Targeter

The intelligence community’s inner workings remain largely mysterious to most Americans, but the recent Sarah Adams Interview gives unprecedented access to this hidden world. Adams’ career as a CIA targeter provides a fascinating window into one of the Agency’s most critical yet least understood roles in protecting national security.

What exactly is a CIA targeter?

In the Sarah Adams Interview, she illuminates the specialized role that few outside the intelligence community truly understand. CIA targeters identify individuals, relationships, and organizations that have access to information needed to address critical U.S. foreign intelligence requirements. These professionals are instrumental in finding opportunities to disrupt terrorist attacks, illegal arms trade, drug networks, cyber threats, and counterintelligence operations.

Targeters work at the intersection of analysis and operations, combining specialized training with advanced analytic skills to enhance ongoing operations and identify new opportunities. Notably, the Sarah Adams Interview with Shawn Ryan reveals how targeters must utilize unique datasets and specialized tools while applying network analysis techniques to counter threats to U.S. interests.

Furthermore, targeting officers are integral to the planning and implementation of the Directorate of Operations foreign intelligence collection, counterintelligence, and covert action operations. They represent a crucial bridge between intelligence gathering and operational execution.

How Sarah Adams joined the intelligence community

The path to becoming a CIA officer wasn’t initially obvious for Adams. During the Sarah Adams Shawn Ryan interview, she shared that her journey to the Agency began unexpectedly. Her graduate thesis focused on Kashmir, which naturally limited her career options to either the CIA or State Department if she wanted to continue working in that specialty area.

“Why I joined is pretty simple—my graduate thesis was on Kashmir, so there were only like two places I could think to apply to jobs: the CIA and the State Department,” Adams explained in the Shawn Ryan Sarah Adams interview.

Adams joined the CIA in 2006 to identify and assess global terrorist threats aimed at the U.S., its interests, and its allies. Initially, she wasn’t necessarily planning an intelligence career, but her academic focus aligned perfectly with the Agency’s needs. Unlike many who enter the field, Adams didn’t discover her interest in national security until graduate school.

Subsequently, mentors played a crucial role in her professional development. As noted in her Sarah Adams Interview, having multiple mentors across different industries helped develop her network and eventually led to her intelligence career.

Key responsibilities in the role

As a CIA targeting officer, Adams held extraordinary responsibilities that carried global implications. In one particularly revealing segment of the Sarah Adams Interview, she disclosed that she was tasked with tracking the top three Taliban leaders. “I was responsible for all three of them,” she stated, highlighting the significance of her position.

Her work involved conducting all-source investigations related to terrorist activities. Adams utilized her expertise to analyze critical data, inform senior officials, and guide intelligence operations against high-value targets. Her ability to identify opportunities and vulnerabilities became essential to mission success.

Adams’ role occasionally included field operations. In a compelling anecdote from her CIA tenure, she described participating in the arrest of a senior Taliban figure—an operation that succeeded partly due to luck when “his son had stolen an old phone of his from the closet and brought it on a trip with his father”. This created an opportunity for tracking and capture that might otherwise have been missed.

After leaving the CIA in 2015, Adams continued her counterterrorism work, applying her targeting expertise as Senior Advisor for the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Benghazi. For those interested in learning more about her extensive background, the Sarah Adams CIA biography provides additional details about her remarkable career trajectory.

Uncovering Global Threats: Sarah Adams’ Key Revelations

The recent Sarah Adams Interview revealed shocking intelligence findings that challenge conventional understanding of global terrorist networks. As a former CIA targeting officer, Adams brings forward critical insights about evolving terrorist threats that demand urgent attention from global security agencies.

Taliban resurgence and funding sources

In the Sarah Adams Interview, she exposed how the Taliban has secured massive funding from multiple international sources. Surprisingly, Adams revealed that despite claiming otherwise, U.S. humanitarian aid has inadvertently found its way to Taliban coffers. According to a May 2024 report, approximately $10.9 million in American aid had made its way into Taliban pockets through systems of taxes, utility bills, and operational fees.

More alarmingly, Adams uncovered that China has invested $10 billion in Afghanistan’s lithium and mineral mines, with 30% of those funds flowing directly to Al-Qaeda. Furthermore, the Sarah Adams Interview with Shawn Ryan highlighted that Russia, Iran, and even India have established funding channels to various Taliban factions.

“India has taken a significant step by providing $10 million to Mullah Yaqoob, which funds Gecko Base, the personal security base of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader,” Adams stated. This complex web of international financing has contributed significantly to Taliban resurgence since 2021.

Al Qaeda’s evolving strategies

Perhaps most concerning among Adams’ revelations is Al Qaeda’s adaptation and growth. In the Sarah Adams Shawn Ryan interview, she detailed how Al Qaeda has trained approximately 1,000 terrorists each for attacks in the U.S. and Europe. These operatives are preparing for sophisticated, coordinated strikes reminiscent of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Adams exposed how Hamza bin Laden has formed the “Islamic Army,” uniting previously disparate groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, and the Taliban under one operational umbrella. This alliance has trained approximately 120,000 recruits, creating unprecedented coordination between terrorist factions that historically operated independently.

Additionally, Adams explained that Al Qaeda is developing advanced attack methods:

1. Autonomous “Fadeian” attackers willing to fight to death
2. Advanced suicide vests designed to evade metal detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs
3. Coordinated swarming tactics allowing real-time target changes

The Shawn Ryan Sarah Adams interview further exposed how Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has harbored Al Qaeda operatives, while Russia allegedly helps transport supplies for planned U.S. homeland attacks.

The Benghazi incident: what really happened

In her book “Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy” and throughout the Sarah Adams Interview, Adams dismantles the official narrative about the 2012 Benghazi attack. Contrary to initial government claims about a spontaneous reaction to an anti-Islamic video, Adams revealed the attack was “masterminded by Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri himself, who wanted revenge for the U.S. drone strike that killed his deputy, Abu Yahya al-Libi, in June 2012”.

The attack involved over 160 terrorists from multiple Al Qaeda affiliates in a pre-planned, coordinated strike. Adams exposed that the original goal was kidnapping Ambassador Stevens for a prisoner exchange, not killing him. When this failed, it escalated into the deadly assault we now know.

According to Adams’ investigation, the so-called mastermind Ahmed Abu Khattallah was merely “a convenient scapegoat—an easy figure to pin the blame on, but far from the real architects of the attack”. For those interested in learning more about her Benghazi findings, the Sarah Adams CIA biography provides additional insights into her role investigating this pivotal event.

The China-Russia Connection in Terrorism

One of the most startling revelations from the Sarah Adams Interview concerns the hidden alliance between major world powers and terrorist organizations. Adams’ intelligence background provides rare insight into how China and Russia actively support terror networks while maintaining plausible deniability.

How foreign powers manipulate terrorist groups

In the Sarah Adams Interview, she explains that China and Russia, working alongside terror groups, are engaged in an ongoing clandestine war against the United States. This isn’t merely diplomatic tension—it represents a fundamental shift in how these powers project influence globally.

“China and Russia, in conjunction with terror groups, are already in a clandestine war with the United States,” Adams stated in her Sarah Adams Interview with Shawn Ryan. She detailed how both nations have developed sophisticated systems for managing terrorist proxies while maintaining distance from operations.

Historically, the Soviet (later Russian) secret services established extensive terrorist front organizations. As explained in the Sarah Adams Shawn Ryan interview, Russian intelligence previously operated under the philosophy that “in today’s world, when nuclear arms have made military force obsolete, terrorism should become our main weapon”. First, both powers see terrorist groups as cost-effective tools for advancing geopolitical goals without direct military confrontation. Second, they provide resources and strategic guidance while avoiding attribution.

Evidence of state-sponsored terrorism

The Shawn Ryan Sarah Adams interview presented compelling evidence of state sponsorship. China has allegedly supplied the Arakan Army with sophisticated weapons including assault rifles, machine guns, and FN-6 Chinese Manpads capable of shooting down aircraft. Moreover, Adams pointed out that the U.S. removed the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from its terrorist designation in 2020 “even though they still work closely with al-Qaeda”.

Russian involvement runs even deeper. According to intelligence cited in the Sarah Adams Interview, the KGB and later Russian intelligence services provided extensive support to numerous terrorist organizations, including the PLO, National Liberation Army of Colombia, and the Armenian Secret Army. In one operation codenamed SPLASH, Russia transferred machine guns and other weapons to the Official Irish Republican Army.

The economic motivations behind these relationships

Behind these dangerous partnerships lie calculated economic interests. “Shared national interests and strategic concerns have brought China and Russia together,” notes a security assessment referenced during the interview. The Sarah Adams CIA biography details how both nations face similar economic pressures from Western sanctions and seek alternative power structures.

Consequently, both countries have worked to establish the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a counterweight to Western influence in Central Asia. Through this and other mechanisms, Russia and China aim to reshape regional economic dynamics while undermining Western security interests.

Intelligence Failures and Government Inaction

In the explosive Sarah Adams Interview, the former CIA targeter highlighted critical intelligence failures that continue to threaten American security. Her revelations point to systematic breakdowns within intelligence organizations and government response mechanisms that leave America vulnerable despite available intelligence.

Warning signs that went unheeded

The Sarah Adams Interview exposed alarming ignored threats. Adams warned that “at least 1,000 Al-Qaeda-trained fighters have found their way onto U.S. soil and stand poised to carry out a coordinated attack”. These operatives allegedly include ISIS members and other Islamic terrorist groups preparing for attacks similar to Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel.

In fact, Adams described receiving negative feedback after sharing unclassified threat information. “I got a nasty gram back from the Pentagon that I didn’t go through formal channels to share the information, which is ironic because it’s unclassified,” she stated in the Sarah Adams Interview Shawn Ryan. Shockingly, officials showed no interest in the actual threat content or embassy personnel safety.

Bureaucratic obstacles to effective intelligence

Institutional barriers have critically hampered intelligence effectiveness. The Sarah Adams interview with Shawn Ryan highlighted how bureaucratic procedures slow response times and create risk-averse cultures within agencies. Approximately 75% of U.S. law enforcement agencies have fewer than 24 officers, with most lacking dedicated intelligence staff.

Additionally, agencies suffer from critical capability gaps. “The FBI has told us that they have had a problem over the last decade because there are almost no Arab-speaking FBI agents,” noted one assessment. Although oversight committees repeatedly recommended investment in these capabilities, administrations failed to implement these changes.

The gap between intelligence gathering and policy implementation

“Intelligence failure is a frequent topic of discussion,” begins one analysis cited in the Sarah Adams Shawn Ryan interview. Beyond collection failures, there exists a fundamental disconnect between intelligence professionals and policymakers.

Intelligence officers tend to approach issues academically, while policy officials take more pragmatic, action-oriented approaches. This cultural division prevents effective collaboration, as noted in the Shawn Ryan Sarah Adams interview. According to Adams, “Al Qaeda makes a joke out of the fact that they move the money we give to the Taliban to the camps that train the homeland attackers”.

For those interested in understanding the structural challenges Adams faced throughout her career, the Sarah Adams CIA biography provides additional context about navigating these institutional barriers.

Sarah Adams Interview with Shawn Ryan: Breaking Down the Conversation

The podcast episode featuring the Sarah Adams Interview has gone viral across multiple platforms, with millions watching the eye-opening conversation between the former CIA targeter and Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan. Recorded in late 2023, this lengthy discussion provided unprecedented details about global terror networks and intelligence failures that other media outlets have largely ignored.

Key moments from the podcast

The Sarah Adams Interview with Shawn Ryan included several standout segments that captivated viewers. First, Adams revealed details about what she called the “Syrian Blitzkrieg Plan” that began in November 2021, involving coordination between terrorist leaders including “Abu Muhammad Al jalani” and Taliban officials. She explained how the Taliban provided training camps in Afghanistan’s Nahar Province, where Al-Qaeda trained an additional 10,000 fighters.

Second, Adams discussed the concerning humanitarian aid situation, stating “Al Qaeda makes a joke out of the fact that they move the money we give to the Taliban to the camps that train the homeland attackers”. Throughout the Sarah Adams Shawn Ryan interview, she repeatedly emphasized how current counterterrorism approaches focus on short-term tactics rather than strategic outcomes.

Surprising revelations that shocked listeners

Essentially, the most shocking revelation from the Sarah Adams Interview concerned what she called the “invisible bomb vest.” According to Adams, this device was highlighted in December 2023 by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, designed to defeat metal detectors and “made with components dogs aren’t trained on to sniff”. This advanced weapon represents a significant security challenge that current systems aren’t prepared to address.

Meanwhile, another stunner came when Adams discussed British intelligence leaking information about Hamza bin Laden being alive, contrary to CIA claims. “The interesting part is the US still won’t print it,” Adams noted, explaining that “the Brits are like, screw you, and they put it out in the press”. For those seeking deeper historical context, the Sarah Adams CIA biography provides additional background on these intelligence conflicts.

How the interview compares to other appearances

Naturally, the Shawn Ryan Sarah Adams interview offered significantly more depth than her appearances on other platforms. Following her discussion on The Liz Wheeler Show about Islamic extremists “hiding in plain sight”, the interview with Ryan allowed for extended exploration of each topic, including detailed explanations of intelligence gathering challenges.

Unlike her other media appearances, the Sarah Adams interview with Shawn Ryan featured practical discussions about local security implications. As Adams noted, “when we get threat information, we pass it to where it belongs”, highlighting the real-world application of intelligence that often goes unexamined in shorter interviews.

Sarah Adams Interview Frequently Asked Questions

What was Sarah Adams’ role in the CIA?

Sarah Adams served as a CIA targeting officer, responsible for identifying and assessing global terrorist threats aimed at the U.S., its interests, and its allies. Her work involved conducting all-source investigations related to terrorist activities and analyzing critical data to inform senior officials and guide intelligence operations against high-value targets.

What are some key revelations from Sarah Adams’ interview?

Adams revealed that Al Qaeda has trained approximately 1,000 terrorists each for attacks in the U.S. and Europe. She also exposed how China has invested $10 billion in Afghanistan’s lithium and mineral mines, with 30% of those funds flowing directly to Al-Qaeda. Additionally, she discussed the development of an “invisible bomb vest” designed to defeat metal detectors and evade detection by bomb-sniffing dogs.

How does Sarah Adams describe the relationship between major world powers and terrorist organizations?

According to Adams, China and Russia are actively supporting terror networks while maintaining plausible deniability. She explains that both nations have developed sophisticated systems for managing terrorist proxies as cost-effective tools for advancing geopolitical goals without direct military confrontation.

What does Sarah Adams reveal about the Benghazi incident?

Adams challenges the official narrative about the 2012 Benghazi attack. She states that contrary to initial government claims, the attack was masterminded by Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri as revenge for a U.S. drone strike. The assault involved over 160 terrorists from multiple Al Qaeda affiliates in a pre-planned, coordinated strike.

What intelligence failures did Sarah Adams highlight in her interview?

Adams exposed critical gaps between information gathering and practical implementation within intelligence agencies. She pointed out bureaucratic obstacles that hamper effective responses to threats, while terrorist groups exploit these weaknesses. Adams also highlighted the lack of Arabic-speaking FBI agents and the slow response times due to risk-averse cultures within agencies.

What are some of the key topics Sarah Adams discusses in her interviews with Shawn Ryan?

Adams discusses a range of critical issues, including the complexities of counterterrorism, the evolving threats from groups like the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and the geopolitical roles of countries like China and Russia. She also addresses intelligence failures and the challenges of accurately assessing threats.

What insights does Sarah Adams provide regarding the situation in Afghanistan?

Adams offers in-depth analysis of the current situation in Afghanistan, including the Taliban’s control, the rise of ISIS-K, and the challenges of dealing with these groups. She also discusses the delicate and dangerous situation of American citizens being held within Afghanistan.

What concerns does Sarah Adams raise about the current state of U.S. intelligence and national security?

Adams expresses concerns about intelligence gaps, the potential for overlooking critical threats, and the need for a more comprehensive understanding of global security challenges. She emphasizes the importance of accurate intelligence to inform effective policy decisions.

Where can I find Sarah Adams’ interviews and publications?

Sarah Adams has been featured on the “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast. Her book, “Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy,” is also available. You can also find her on social media platforms like LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).