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Mubin Shaikh: Why Did a Former Extremist Go Undercover To Fight Terrorism?

Part 3 of theTED Radio Hour episode Going Undercover

About Mubin Shaikh's TED Talk

When his childhood friend was connected with a terrorist attack, Mubin Shaikh set out to help combat Islamic extremists--even though he used to be one. So he joined the Canadian Intelligence Service.

About Theo E.J. Wilson

Mubin Shaikh is an expert in radicalization, de-radicalization, and counter-terrorism. As a young man, he trained briefly with members of the Taliban, but eventually abandoned that ideology and became an undercover counter-terrorism operative with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He was a key witness in the infamous 2006 Toronto Terrorism case.

Shaikh has since left the Intelligence Service. He co-authored the book Undercover Jihadi: Inside the Toronto 18.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR/TED Staff