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Published Jun 27, 2019

217: Matthew Schrier | How to Survive in a Secret Syrian Terrorist Prison

Matthew Schrier shares his gripping story of survival after being captured by Al-Qaeda in Syria, detailing the tactical and psychological strategies he used to escape, while also exposing the controversial decisions by the FBI and U.S. government that left him feeling betrayed.
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  • FBI's Role

    shares his harrowing experience with the FBI during his captivity. He reveals how the FBI prioritized intelligence gathering over his safety, allowing his captors to steal his personal information and money to track terrorist activities 1. Schrier feels deeply betrayed by the FBI's actions and the lack of political will to address his situation 2.

    The FBI, they have their tentacles in everything. Nobody has the guts to stand up to them except, you know, the guy who was held by Al-Qaeda for seven months.

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    Despite his efforts to aid the investigation, Schrier found the FBI's actions disheartening and counterproductive.

       

    Government Negligence

    Schrier criticizes the U.S. government's negligence during his captivity. He recounts how the FBI allowed his captors to use his stolen money to buy laptops and tablets, which were then used to infiltrate terrorist networks 1. Schrier also discovered that the FBI lied to his mother about his well-being to protect their operation 3.

    The FBI agent is so certain I'm never coming home and my mom's an old lady, so she's not going to figure it out. And she's documenting this whole thing.

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    This negligence left Schrier feeling abandoned and exploited by his own government.

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