A Syrian Informant’s Final Bargain with the F.B.I.

[sirens wailing]

[video game bleeping]

[phone vibrating]

Baba, the phone!

[Samir] Who is it?

I don't know.

[phone vibrates]

Baba, it's ringing again!

[Samir] What's the name?

I don't know.

[Samir] Then, spell it.

H-U-G-H

G-R-E-G-O-R-Y.

[toilet flushing]

[running]

[gentle apprehensive music]

Salaam alaikum, brother.

Been a long time.

This was around the time,

that video of the drone attack came out.

So the imam, he's saying, you know,

Let's pray for our brothers and sisters in Yemen.

And this man, he starts shouting, like,

Fuck that! Fuck, 'let's pray'!

What are we going to do?

So, I went up to him after Jumu'ah and I say,

Hey, brother, what you said there was very, very good

about taking action, hmm?

And I would like to talk to you about it more.

So you take him to lunch,

you tell him you have brothers that are willing to help

and he's not interested, right?

The same story.

Well, he wasn't interested then.

Look, this man is online, praising Anwar al-Awlaki.

And, after two years of not contacting me, he calls me,

a man who he thinks is sending

hundreds of thousands of dollars

to mujahideen in Yemen, huh?

We must do something now!

[agent exhales]

Okay. I'm gonna let you go talk to him.

Just this one time and just to kind of take his temperature.

Wonderful. This is very wise.

And I promise you, when you listen to the tape

and you hear the things he say-

Well, we're not gonna record it,

but you'll tell us what happens.

Why wouldn't you record it?

It's just so preliminary.

[Samir] I wouldn't call this preliminary.

Well, it's policy.

Policy how?

We can't start recording until it becomes

a preliminary investigation, you know this.

What is this?

[Second Agent] It's an assessment.

But he just said preliminary.

[First Agent] Let's not get bogged down

with the nomenclature.

Well then, what can I give immigration

to show everything I'm doing?

If something comes up, I'm gonna tell them.

No, no, I'm not going to fall for this again.

Fall, for what?

Look I'm here, okay? I'm trying to help.

But I can't keep trying and trying to help

if I'm not getting anything in return.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Let me ask you a question.

During the three years you worked for us,

were you here legally?

[First Agent] Okay, let's wrap this up.

No, no, no, I just, it's just, I just,

I want to know. It's a simple question.

Were you here legally, Samir?

And did you get deported?

I'm getting deported now!

Three years, three years I work for you.

I do everything you say.

Then ICE come knocking on my door.

Where the fuck were you?

We're the ones who gave ICE your address.

We couldn't use you anymore.

Look,

this man is very dangerous.

And he called me.

He didn't call anyone else, he called me.

Now,

if you want me

to meet with him

and find out what he wants,

I need

a green card.

And if you can't give me that,

I'm afraid I can't help you.

The thing is, Samir,

we have thousands of you.

You know the drill.

I'll leave a car in the usual spot.

There'll be a suit inside with an address in the pocket.

[tense music]

[doorbell rings]

[birds chirping]

[Hugh Gregory] Mm.

[licks fingers]

[Samir] So,

what is this very important thing

you want to talk about?

You see, that's how I know that you are a businessman.

You get right down to business.

Brother,

[inhales]

you remember a while back

when you were telling me that you

and your people were looking for brothers?

Brothers who fear Allah and are willing to take action

to do their duty.

And that you are willing to provide assistance,

finance-wise. Of course, brother.

You know the courthouse on J Street in Brooklyn?

Uh-huh.

I've been dealing with a lot of bullshit there,

ever since my landlord changed the locks.

A Jewish landlord.

Brother, there's nothing in the world worse than a Jew.

Don't you agree?

I do. And you don't know the half of it.

I says to him, I says,

I'm not paying any rent until you fix what needs fixing.

I thought we had an understanding,

but next thing I know,

my wife and my child are in the shelter,

and I got to take this motherfucker to court.

And when I get there, guess who the judge is.

Another fucking Jew.

I look around and I see I'm surrounded by kikes.

And they all got their hands in my pocket.

And I said to myself,

Look at this, this, this building, this whole courthouse.

It's just a place where the Jews can go to take money

from people like you and me.

And there's nothing we can do about it.

So I'm left with just one option.

That's when I said,

Oh, I need to call the brother, Ibrahim.

[Samir] I'm very pleased you did, brother.

So what is it exactly you're planning?

[gentle tense music]

Assuming that you're willing to help me.

[Samir] Of course.

The next time I'm going to that courthouse,

I'm gonna give that Jew exactly what he's been asking for.

[Samir] Ma shaa Allah,

ma shaa Allah, brother.

Payback time.

Bingo.

I'm gonna give it to him with a message

I know he'll understand.

Brilliant. Brilliant, brother.

And what will this payback be?

Three thousand, 500 dollars.

[tense music culminates]

That's that's how much I need

to get back into the apartment.

I'm sorry, brother, but what about the payback?

That is the payback. I'm paying him back.

What other option I got?

But, but brother,

what about a message in a language he understand?

Oh my, my next door neighbor,

he speaks Yiddish and he's gonna help me write a letter

so that there's no misunderstanding.

'Cause I'm not paying any rent until he fixes my shower.

I'm tired of fucking baths.

But brother, this man has disrespected you.

He has thrown you and your family out in the street.

But,

it's a nice apartment.

And my daughter has her own bedroom.

[tense music]

[knocking on door]

Samir,

So

[exhales]

He's a scary man.

Very, very scary.

Very angry at America.

Doesn't mean he's going to do anything.

Sure. You're probably right.

Although he did say one thing.

He said he wants to make American mothers and fathers

know what it feels like to have their innocent children die.

Hold on.

He said, ah,

there's this a Jewish school on Ocean Avenue

that he drives by every day

back and forth, back and forth.

[melancholy orchestral music]

[Samir] You're very angry, right brother?

[Hugh Gregory] Yes, brother.

You ever think about doing something about this anger?

Something for the cause?

Oh.

Oh brother. But ...

uh, I have a family

and right now they don't have a home.

And what if that was taken care of?

Well, I duh... I don't know.

Maybe ... I, uh ...

[melancholy orchestral music]

[child laughing]

[melancholy orchestral music culminates]

[wind blowing]

So?

[FBI Agent] Samir,

[exhales]

Buddy.

How are we going to know what happened if you don't tell us

[tense orchestral music]

[Samir] So brother ...