Steven Emerson

Steven Emerson
Steven Emerson is considered one of the leading authorities on Islamic extremist networks, financing and operations. He serves as the Executive Director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism, a non-profit organization that serves one of the world's largest storehouses of archival data and intelligence on Islamic and Middle Eastern terrorist groups. Emerson and his staff frequently provide briefings to U.S. government and law enforcement agencies, members of Congress and congressional committees, and print and electronic media on terrorist financing and operational networks of Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the rest of the worldwide Islamic militant spectrum. Since 9-11, Emerson has been interviewed frequently on all the major television networks and in the national and international print media. The website of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, which was started in September 2007, is now considered one of the top counter-terrorism websites in the world and can be accessed at www.investigativeproject.org. Emerson launched The Investigative Project on Terrorism in 1995, following the November 1994 broadcast of his documentary film, "Jihad in America," on public television. The film exposed clandestine operations of militant Islamic terrorist groups on American soil. For the film, Emerson received numerous awards including the George Polk Award for best television documentary, one of the most prestigious awards in journalism. He also received the top prize from the Investigative Reporters and Editors Organization (IRE) for best investigative report in both print and television for the documentary. The award from IRE was the fourth he had received from that group. The documentary, which was featured on 60 Minutes, has become standard viewing for federal law enforcement and intelligence organizations. Emerson is recognized as one of the first terrorism experts to have testified and warned about the threat of Islamic militant networks operating in the United States and their connections worldwide. In a pioneering congressional testimony delivered in 1998, he specifically warned about the threat of Osama Bin Laden's network. Nearly every one of the terrorist suspects and groups first identified in his 1994 film have been indicted, convicted, or deported since 9-11. Emerson is the author or co-author of six books on terrorism and national security, including: "Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the U.S." (Prometheus, 2006) "American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us" (The Free Press, 2002) "Terrorist: The Inside Story of the Highest-Ranking Iraqi Terrorist Ever to Defect to the West" (Villard Books /Random House, 1991) "The Fall of Pan Am 103: Inside the Lockerbie Investigation" (Putnam's Sons, 1990) "Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era" (Putnam's Sons, 1988) "The American House of Saud: The Secret Petrodollar Connection" (Franklin Watts, 1985) Prior to starting the Investigative Project on Terrorism, Emerson worked as a correspondent for CNN and previously as a senior editor at US News and World Report. His first job in Washington DC in 1977 was as a staff researcher for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has a BA and MA from Brown University and once ran a marathon in 2 hours, 59 minutes, a feat he was never able to repeat again.

ARTICLES BY: Steven Emerson

October 4, 2013 9:00 am

Nairobi Attack Prompts Debate Over Al-Shabaab’s Reach

There are still plenty of unanswered questions about al-Shabaab's recent attack and siege at an upscale Nairobi mall. The death toll stands at 67 people as...

October 3, 2013 10:23 am

American Islamic Group Hiding Donations From Foreign Governments, Others

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is using a complex web of non-profit and corporate entities to keep millions of dollars in donations from foreign...

October 1, 2013 11:27 am

McCain Hires Discredited Syria Advocate

Usually when a person is exposed for padding her resume, it's difficult to land high-prestige jobs. That's not the case for Elisabeth O'Bagy, hired last week by...

September 25, 2013 8:24 am

After Kenya Attack, American Islamic Group Minimizes U.S. Terror Recruitment

Kenya's foreign minister told PBS Monday that two or three of the al-Shabaab terrorists who killed at least 68 people during an attack an siege at Nairobi mall...

September 24, 2013 8:59 am

Egyptian Court Bans Muslim Brotherhood

An Egyptian court has banned the Muslim Brotherhood from operating and ordered that all its assets be seized. Because the ruling applies to "any organisation derived from...

September 18, 2013 8:53 am

Report: Egyptians Furious at Obama

Perceived American support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is driving a deep wedge between Egypt's military leaders and its people against the United States, a...

September 11, 2013 9:17 am

North American Islamic Leader Tied to Mass Murder in Bangladesh

A survivor of a 1971 Islamist killing spree in Bangladesh tearfully told a war crimes tribunal Monday that he saw a man who would go on to...

August 30, 2013 6:56 am

Report: Hamas Members Arrested in Attack on Egyptian Police

Egyptian authorities reportedly have arrested 11 people suspected of killing 25 Egyptian police officers in an ambush last week. Five of the suspects are Hamas members,...

August 30, 2013 6:49 am

Algeria Cracks Down on Terror Financing

Algerian authorities are investigating money raised in mosques there to see if it was used to train jihadists to join the war in Syria and other...

August 28, 2013 8:43 am

Australian Islamic Cleric Incites Violence Against Jews

An online video of an Australian Islamic cleric calling for Hindus and Buddhists to be killed is under investigation by South Australian police. "The YouTube clip is...

August 23, 2013 7:02 am

9/11 Families Support New Law to Sue Terrorists in U.S. Courts

A petition urging Congress to pass new terror financing legislation is being circulated by a group of 9/11 victims' families and survivors of the attacks. Three New...

August 14, 2013 8:40 am

Report: Iran, Hamas Trying to Smuggle Syrian Arms into West Bank

While there's obvious concern about radical Islamists smuggling weapons into Syria as part of the fight against dictator Bashar al-Assad, an intelligence analysis agency says...

August 13, 2013 8:47 am

Musician Calls Israel ‘Apartheid State’ in BBC Broadcast at Royal Albert Hall

In the sentiment of Laura Ingraham's famously penned "Shut up and Sing," the injection of politics onto ill-prepared audiences who naively assume they will be entertained...

August 1, 2013 10:42 am

Hamas Official Blames Morsi’s Fall on ‘Zio-American’ Scheme

If a lightbulb goes out somewhere in the Middle East, someone will come forward to blame a Jewish conspiracy. So when the Muslim Brotherhood's man is...