For intelligence officers like former CIA spy and whistleblower John Kiriakou, facing the threat of death is an occupational hazard. Throughout his career, Kiriakou experienced numerous life-threatening situations.
During his tenure with the CIA, Kiriakou was subjected to multiple assassination attempts and constant surveillance. He operated against violent communist guerrillas in Greece post-Soviet Union, and later became Chief of Counterterrorist Operations in Pakistan after the events of 9/11.
As an experienced and decorated agent, Kiriakou led numerous operations targeting Al-Qaeda safehouses, resulting in the capture and interrogation of many fighters, often involving controversial methods like torture.
Kiriakou’s public acknowledgment of waterboarding as a common CIA tactic during counterterror operations led to his imprisonment for 23 months during the Obama administration.
In a recent conversation for LADBible’s Honesty Box series, Kiriakou recounted some of his most perilous experiences and shared insights into the field.
When asked about fearing for his life, Kiriakou admitted he faced mortal danger ‘several times’, highlighting two major assassination attempts.
In June 2000, Kiriakou narrowly escaped death in Athens when a violent communist group carried out a high-profile attack on Western officials.
“Unfortunately my next door neighbour got killed instead,” he noted.
The leftist guerrillas 17N mistakenly targeted British Brigadier Stephen Saunders, believing he was involved in the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. In reality, Saunders was an army peacekeeper in Kosovo.
Another incident involved Kiriakou neutralizing a plot against his life orchestrated by an enemy country.
“An enemy country sent one of its officers and a double agent to kill me,” he recounted, without specifying the nation. The CIA’s advance warning enabled them to thwart the assassination attempt.
Not all threats were straightforward, as Kiriakou explained a particularly troubling episode in Pakistan during the early 2000s.
“I was staying in a small guest house because it was safer than a big hotel,” Kiriakou recounted. “Sure enough, the big hotel was blown up and 45 people were killed while I was there.”
Realizing he was being followed heightened the tension.
Kiriakou described how a man on a motorcycle, wearing a red helmet, persistently attempted to stay in his blindspot.
After noticing the tail again at the end of the day, Kiriakou realized he was under surveillance. He knew he had to act.
Upon informing his station chief, he was advised: “Well, you know what you have to do,” which prompted Kiriakou’s response: “I know, I’m going to kill him.”
However, a moment of inspiration struck after a meeting with local militia leaders. He asked, ‘General, are you following me?’ Though they denied it, he warned he would kill the next person he saw following him.
The tail vanished, and the threat was averted.