Author Tony Attanasio Releases New Novel Detailing Covert CIA Operations Entitled 'A Silent Star'

SHALLOTTE, NC, December 16, 2012 (Press-News.org) Acclaimed author Tony Attanasio has released 'A Silent Star'. His latest novel details a covert but unsuccessful CIA operation to capture Osama Bin Laden in November 2000.

On October 12, 2000, a suicide attack was initiated against the United States Navy Destroyer USS Cole while it was harbored and refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed, and 39 were injured. The terrorist organization al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack.

The author maintains that in November of 2000, a highly secret project to capture Osama bin Laden, known to have masterminded the attack on the USS Cole in the Gulf of Yemen, was implemented on orders from the government of the United States and its then Commander-in-Chief, William Jefferson Clinton.

Based on British intelligence reports pinpointing Bin Laden's location in a safe house outside Abyan, Yemen, the project code named 'Perfect Justice' was carried out by a team of highly-trained CIA operatives, two male and two female in a commando-style raid. It was to be a Black operation, a covert CIA operation that would be conducted in absolute secrecy under the cover of official deniability.

The CIA Special Operations Group (SOG) supervisor in charge of this operation, is a battle proven 30 year old Sephardic Jewish female from the Bronx, New York. She was raised in a secular household without knowledge of her faith or culture. When asked she would reply - " I am American-that's it." But during this raid, and subsequent trials of fire in Yemen, Portugal and Lebanon, she finds she needs more than her weaponry and vast skills to confront the evils of radical Islam. - She discovers the roots of her religion through the love of an agent of the Mossad who saves her from near death... and through his kindness... on Yom Kippur she finds a peace and happiness unknown to her thus far in her life.

"Tony Attanasio is a thorough researcher and puts a personal touch to the disaster that took place in Yemen in the year 2000. His development of the characters is amazing. He manages to put a human face on this horror. Obviously his vast experiences in both the law enforcement and intelligence community added to this most enjoyable story. I found A SILENT STAR to be most exciting, heartfelt and factual from my experiences and perspective. The adage 'I couldn't put this book down till I finished it' fits well here."
Retired CIA Case Officer

Tony Attanasio is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at pts@bellsouth.net. 'A Silent Star' is available at Amazon.com. More information is available at his Amazon site.

Tony Attanasio is a former U.S. Marine and a retired NYPD Detective. He served ten years with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. He served in Miami, New York and whileattached to the American Embassy in Miami and Rome, Italy, he served as DEA's CIA liaison and liaised with various intelligence agencies from Europe and the Middle East. Tony has been declared an expert in International drug trafficking and organized crime by the N.Y. State Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court in Miami and the German (Bavaria) Supreme Court.

Tony has a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice (Core concentration - counter terrorism strategies). In 1991, Tony attended the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

He has served as an Adjunct professor at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, where he taught an undergraduate course in the discipline of terrorism. Currently Tony is teaching at Palm Beach State College, where he teaches courses in Forensic Accounting, Organized Crime Investigations, Arabic/Moslem Culture, The Psychology of a Suicide Bomber and a course that focuses on terrorist investigations and intelligence collection techniques.

In addition, Tony is a certified Florida Department of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Instructor and has taught at the Connecticut State Police Academy in Meriden, Connecticut.

He also served as the organized crime advisor, to Robert DeNiro relative to his film Ronan. Tony has received numerous awards in the field of law enforcement and government, including seventeen awards for valor from NYPD, three awards from DEA for exceptional duty, an award from the BKA (Germany) and an award from the Republic of Italy.

In 1998, Tony received a commendation from the Governor of the Marianna Islands for the training of his investigators in the discipline of Forensic Science investigations. In 2004, Tony received the state of Florida's prestigious "Davis Award."

His first book, 'The Orchid Memorandum', was written with Howard Hellman was published in 2004. His second book, 'Kenny O - An Untold Story From The Annals Of NYPD', was published in August of 2012. He is currently conducting research for his fourth book, 'The Silent Crescent'.