Episode 1 - ABU ZUBAYDAH

In the shadow of 9-11, America declared a war on terror and set out to capture Al Qaeda’s leadership. On March 28, 2002, Pakistani forces, with CIA and FBI support, captured the man they believed (at the time) was Al Qaeda’s Number Three: ABU ZUBAYDAH. Though Zubaydah provided plenty of solid, actionable intelligence, he wasn’t, in fact, Al Qaeda’s Number Three. However, despite knowing that fact – and despite the fact that Abu Zubaydah had consistently cooperated with his questioners – the CIA (with Vice President Dick Cheney’s full approval) – waterboarded Abu Zubaydah 83 times. Now housed at the high-security area of Guantanamo Bay’s Military Prison, Abu Zubaydah faces an uncertain future. The US government has vowed it will never release him and that he will die a prisoner. But that doesn’t have to be. And our audience can, in deed and in fact, make a real difference in what happens to Abu Zubaydah.