Trevor Aaronson
I’ve covered the FBI for over a decade. My book, The Terror Factory, revealed how the FBI manipulated public fears of terrorism during the post-9/11 to justify abuses against Muslim communities. I’ve also created several documentary podcast series about FBI investigations, including “Alphabet Boys” and “Pulse: The Untold Story,” and gave a TED Talk about FBI counterterrorism stings.
I write here every Tuesday about the FBI and the intersection of national security and civil liberties.
My Work
Pulse: The Untold Story investigates the Pulse nightclub shooting and raises startling questions about the FBI’s culpability. The FBI had a secret history with Omar Mateen and his father. To obscure that history, the FBI pushed a false story that the media dutifully carried—that the attacker was a secretly gay Islamist extremist who had chosen to target Pulse and planned the attack for weeks.
Hold Fast: The Unadulterated Story of the World’s Most Scandalous Website is the uncompromising story of Backpage.com, the world’s most scandalous website, and the rise and fall of alternative weekly newspapers nationwide.
Alphabet Boys: Trojan Hearse is the first season of a multi-season podcast series I report, write, and host. The show is produced by Western Sound and distributed by iHeartPodcasts. This first season revealed how the FBI infiltrated and subverted the racial justice movement during the summer of 2020.
American ISIS is a documentary podcast from The Intercept and Topic Studios that tells the story of Russell Dennison, an American who joined the Islamic State and secretly communicated with me from Syria.
The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism is my book about the FBI’s post-9/11 counterterrorism program. The Tenth Anniversary Edition was published in November 2022.
How This FBI Strategy Is Actually Creating U.S.-Based Terrorists is my TED Talk from 2015.
The Intercept publishes a lot of my reporting. Some examples:
The Hamas Terrorist Who Wasn’t, December 12, 2023
The Honey Trap, March 21, 2023
The Snitch in the Silver Hearse, February 7, 2023
The “Terrorist,” the Rapist, and Me, November 26, 2022
Spy in Disguise, September 12, 2021
FBI Terrorism Stings: Two Decades of National Security Theater, September 11, 2021
Flipping the Switch: Donald Trump Helped Turn a Christian Extremist Into an Alleged Domestic Terrorist, March 30, 2019
Love and Loathing in Las Vegas, August 12, 2018
Why Subscribe?
Starting in 2025, I’ll write here every Tuesday about the FBI and the government’s increasing attacks on free speech and protections. Read this for some background on what to expect.
When you become a paid subscriber, you’re supporting not only this newsletter but also my long-form work. This revenue serves as a development fund, allowing me the freedom to pursue ambitious, impactful reporting projects for general audiences.
Contact Me
For options to contact me, please go here.
