9/11 attacks are perhaps one of the deadliest and costliest intelligence failures in connection to terrorism in the history. It is difficult to fathom that the terrorists could orchestrate and execute multiple attacks on the US soil without anyone getting suspicious. And although many conspiracy theories have been thrown around, none were ever proven. The Looming Tower series on Hulu looks at what caused this intelligence failure and were these agencies competing with each other rather than working in tandem.
The Looming Tower Series Cast
Developed by Futterman, the new Hulu original series is based on the book of the same name written by Lawrence Wright. The show premieres on Hulu this February and boasts of a stellar star cast including Jeff Daniels. The series will be available in the UK on Amazon.
The Looming Tower (2018)
Created By: Dan Futterman
Cast: Jeff Daniels, Tahar Rahim, Peter Sarsgaard, Wrenn Schmidt, Bill Camp
Network: Hulu, Amazon
Release Date: February 28 2018
The Looming Tower Series Plot
The Looming Tower traces the rising threat of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in the late 1990s and how the rivalry between the FBI and CIA during that time may have inadvertently set the path for the tragedy of 9/11.
The series follows members of the I-49 Squad in New York and Alec Station in Washington, D.C., the counter-terrorism divisions of the FBI and CIA, respectively, as they travel the world fighting for ownership of information while seemingly working toward the same goal – trying to prevent an imminent attack on U.S. soil.
John O’Neill (Jeff Daniels), the bullheaded chief of the I-49 Squad, is rightly convinced that the U.S. has been targeted for an attack by Al-Qaeda. He and his protégé, Muslim-American FBI agent Ali Soufan (Tahar Rahim), face deliberately insufficient cooperation from other organizations within the federal government. Specifically, their counterparts within the CIA, led by the frequently antagonistic Martin Schmidt (Peter Sarsgaard).
Convinced he’s by far the smartest person in the room, Schmidt, along with his Alec Station protégé, Diane Marsh (Wrenn Schmidt), opt to disobey Presidential orders and horde information from the FBI under the misguided notion that the CIA is the only government agency equipped to battle potential terror threats from abroad.
O’Neill and Soufan travel overseas to investigate the bombings of the Nairobi Embassy, Dar es Salaam Embassy and the U.S.S. Cole, while interrogating terrorists in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, gathering important intelligence piece by piece. Meanwhile in D.C., Schmidt and Marsh are given critical information of their own – the knowledge that known Al-Qaeda members, whom O’Neill and Soufan are trying to track down, have entered the United States.
The professional and personal worlds come to a head as Al-Qaeda operatives in the U.S., which the CIA has long known about, set their plan in motion.
The Looming Tower Series Trailer
Watch this The Looming Tower trailer and tell us if you find this new gripping thriller about agency politics engaging.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgsdAUKIICo
The Looming Tower Series Episodes
Can’t wait to find out what’s happening in the first few episodes of the Hulu original series? Here’s a look inside the The Looming Tower series episode guide.
Episode 1
The chief of the FBI’s counter-terrorism unit, John O’Neill, invites rookie Muslim-American agent, Ali Soufan, onto his squad. Fighting to get information from the CIA, they soon realize their work is just beginning…as two American embassies are bombed.
Episode 2
Following the simultaneous embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the FBI begins its investigation on the ground, while the CIA starts working on a retaliation plan.
Episode 3
The FBI finds one of the surviving terrorists and discovers a game changing lead in Nairobi, while the CIA’s retaliation plan is approved.
Episode 4
Continuing to keep information from the FBI, Schmidt is fired from Alec Station. Diane makes an important discovery about the owner of the phone number Owhali gave Chesney. O’Neill searches for solace in his faith as his personal and professional lives crumble before him.
Episode 5
The CIA and FBI are on high alert as threats surrounding the new millennium abound. O’Neill and Soufan raid an AQ cell in Brooklyn. The CIA continues to hide vital information from the FBI while they track suspicious individuals entering the U.S.
Episode 6
Vince continues asking for permission to share Mihdhar’s visa with the FBI. O’Neill loses his briefcase and an investigation into his handling of classified materials begins. A boy, radicalized after the CIA’s retaliation attack killed his friend, travels to Yemen to start his own martyrdom journey.
Episode 7
O’Neill and Soufan travel to Yemen to begin the investigation into the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole. The FBI becomes aware of a meeting in Malaysia and of Khallad, without knowing the CIA has been aware of both of those things for months.
Episode 8
Everyone adjusts to a new president and, with it, a shift in threat priority. Soufan learns of the importance of UBL’s bodyguard and is refused access to him. O’Neill is denied re-entry into Yemen and forced to resign. The terrorists in the U.S., Hazmi, Mihdhar and Atta, are lost by their U.S. handler.
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