U.S. failure to retaliate for USS Cole attack rankled then – and now

Micheal Isikoff wrote a story on how declassified documents reveled frustration regarding lack of response for the USS Cole attack, by both the Clinton and Bush administrations.  Mark told NBC that wishing weeks NCIS and FBI investigators had solid evidence the USS Cole attack was linked to both al-Qaida and to Osama bin Laden.

Event Date
2010-10-12
Pub/Org
NBC News
Link to Publication or Organization

INTERPOL urged to combat ‘radicalization process’

The Associated Press and Yahoo News announced the release of a study of violent extremists that Mark was the program manager of at the Qatar International Academy for Security Studies.  Mark noted that the interview of former detainees suggested that treatment behind bars was a factor in keeping them from rejoining extremist groups.  Mark said: “The fact they were treated with dignity and humanely was a positive influence on them once they are in custody and continued to be a positive influence years later.”  Mark recommended a more “holistic view” as countries evaluate their counterterrorism plans.

Event Date
2010-11-08
Pub/Org
Associated Press/Yahoo News

Radicalization and U.S. Muslims

Amid the debate over the threat posed by homegrown Islamic terrorism, CFR Associate Staff Writer Jonathan Masters interviewed Mark.  He told CFR “A more aware and educated police officer or agent, who understands and is trained in community-engagement strategies, can certainly go a long way in curbing violent extremism.” Mark pointed out that the Muslim American community is very engaged in trying to help law enforcement thwart terrorism and that tips from that community were the source of information that led to potential terrorist plots in forty-eight our of 120 cased studied.

Event Date
2011-05-11
Pub/Org
Council on Foreign Relations

Defusing the Bomb: Reversing the Process of Radicalization and Preventing Political Violence

The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings hosted Mark and Micheal Gelles to address the challenges of fighting radicalization and explain the deradicalization and counterterrorism policies of five countries visited while conducting study of violent extremists.

Event Date
2012-04-12
Pub/Org
Brookings

Learning to Bridge the World: From Roger Williams to Combating Terrorism – An Alumnus’ Career in Law Enforcement

Roger Williams University announced that Mark, who graduated from RWU in 1978, would be giving a presentation about his career as an NCIS special agent.

Event Date
2012-05-01
Pub/Org
Roger Williams University

Speed Read: 8 Revelations From Kurt Eichenwald’s ‘500 Days’

In this Daily Beast review of Kurt Eichenwald’s book ‘500 Days: Secret Lies In The Terror Wars’, eight revelations were cited, where Mark was written about.  Eichenwald wrote that Mark’s “revolution deepened” and cited Mark’s position that “This looks like the stuff that congressional hearings are made of” and that “Someone needs to be considering how history will look back on this.”

Event Date
2012-09-10
Pub/Org
The Daily Beast

What triggered Aaron Alexis to go on a shooting spree?

Fox News reporter Bill Hemmer interviewed Mark about the Washington Navy Yard active shooter rampage.  Mark explained the Navy Yard is a business center and explained the incident was an insider-threat issue, not a terrorist incident.

Use of honey, not vinegar method, on terrorist detainees

In an article published in the Singapore Strait Times, Mark told them his job was not to hand out justice or enact revenge, but to elicit accurate and reliable evidence or intelligence — by lawful means.  Mark told the Strait Times interrogators could improve their skills with coursed on rapport-building, interviewing skills, memory recall techniques and psychology.

Event Date
2014-02-06
Pub/Org
The Strait Times (Singapore)

The art and heart of interrogation

The Straits Times wrote a feature article about Mark and interrogation methods in their series featuring people in the fight against terror.  Mark said that contrary to popular belief that terrorists are well-trained to resist interrogation techniques, they usually receive little or poor training.  Mark told The Strait Times “No two terrorists are the same, and there is no single silver bullet that will solve all of the interrogator’s problems” but when you treat someone with dignity and respect, they begin to trust you.

Event Date
2014-02-10
Pub/Org
The Straits Times (Singapore)