Khalid Sheik Mohammed’s Secret Vacuum Cleaner Design
Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-described planner of the September 11th terrorist attacks, now sits in the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
When he was first detained a decade ago by the CIA, he was held in secret prisons in Eastern Europe and subjected to harsh interrogations.
Agency officers forced him to stay awake for 180 hours. Additionally he underwent 183 instances of waterboarding.
His handlers also let him to take on an unusual project: Mohammed was allowed to design a vacuum cleaner. That last bit we found out this week from an Associated Press story by Adam Goldman.
“They needed to find a way to occupy him, they wanted to keep him mentally engaged,” said Goldman speaking with The World’s host Marco Werman. “The CIA had to work hard to make sure, in fact, these guys didn’t go insane.”
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us raise $67,000 by the end of the year and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer to our goal!