Tracking the Jackal: The Search for Carlos, the World's Most Wanted Man

Author David Yallop chronicles what initially must have seemed to be an impossibility; locating & interviewing Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the international terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal. From the 1970s to the 1980s, Sanchez conducted an international terrorist spree that included assassinations, kidnappings and hijackings. He helped facilitate the 1972 Munich Olympics plot that ultimately killed Israeli Olympic athletes & coaches and the 1975 kidnappings of OPEC oil ministers. But it seemed as if every high-profile terrorist plot during this time had the fingerprints of Sanchez all over them. Through interviews with Abu Nidal, Yasir Arafat and others, travels that had false starts, dead ends and twists that have to be read to be believed - including an "interview" with a Sanchez double - Yallop is finally able to meet Carlos the Jackal in the most public of places. And the conclusions Yallop draws again shows how myth & realty can blur the truth in the political arena. Soon after the book was published in the U.S., Sanchez was captured by French agents during medical treatment in the Sudan and found guilty in a 1997 trial for the murder of two French policemen and an Israeli agent - a crime dating back to the 1970s - and sentenced to life in prison. Yallop does a masterful job making the reader part of his pursuit and it is not until the closing pages where Sanchez - in real life - appears. But the wealth of material compiled by Yallop almost makes that meeting anti-climatic.

This book is still as valid today as it was when it was first published. Extremely well researched and blows all other accounts away. A must read for anyone interested in Israel/Palestine issue and terrorism in general.

A very fascinating book, this is one of the most interesting documentary work i have ever read. It is filled with suspense and tension during the author's journeys to find the jackal. However, what makes this book really interesting is not tracking down Carlos, but the reality behind the politics and chaos of the middle east discovered by the author during his voyage. Also, the book shows different interviews made to important political figures such as Moammar Gaddafi, Yasser Arafat, George Habash as well as various diplomats and intelligence agents from Israel and europe, just to name few. In addition, the author visits some of the wildest places in the middle east, such as Lebanon, where his aide died on a bomb explosion while he tried to arrange a meeting with Carlos. It is without a doubt, a very thrilling work. I would highly recommend this book especially to those interested on learning about the reality and roots of the Arab-israeli conflict.

Initially I picked this book up with a little skepticism, however I soon discovered what an excellent and informative read David Yallop had in fact created. The author cleverly pieces together parts of an international and dangerous puzzle in order to dispel the myth surrounding Carlos "The Jackal". The reader is led through a maize of characters located in some of the most dangerous parts of the world, political figures with hidden and violent agendas and also many of Carlos's doomed accomplices. Many of these people give varying and sometimes contradictory evidence, which the author has to sift through in order to get to get to the truth and indeed he does get to the truth. What amazed me were the scope of contacts and the depth of research carried out by Mr. Yallop. He has met with some of the most controversial figures in the world, from Qaddafi the leader of Libya to Wadi Haddad the fanatical leader of a Palestinian resistance movement. For this My Yallop must be praised as he spared no effort in searching for the truth and many of these people helped shed light on the real Carlos. The great many events of the life of Ilich Ramirez Sanchez "The Jackal" are studied and cross-referenced in detail in order to tear away the façade surrounding his myth. The author also explains how this myth was created and who was to benefit from such a disinformation campaign. In addition Mr. Yallop also enlightens the reader concerning certain important historical events that have occurred in the past, which helps throw light on some of the reasons behind the recent turmoil in the Middle East. Although I rate this book and author very highly, I do believe that readers interested in the life of Carlos consider another book prior to reading this. While David Yallop's book does make a great first read, "The Secret Wars of Carlos the Jackal" by John Follain will provide adequate preliminary reading and make this book even more enjoyable.

I am not much of a fan of non-fiction reading. I picked up this book in response to my reading The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsythe. What i discovered was not a story of the cold blooded, impeccable Englishman. Rather I found his antithesis, an often bumbling, proud, gaudy, woman chasing latino that only survived to middle age by a series of lucky breaks. The book is great as it leads you through Yallop's search for the true story. he checks his facts from so many and so varied sources that it is absolutely amazing.