Morten Storm

Morten Storm (born January 2, 1976, in Korsør), alias Murad Storm and Murad Storm Al-Denmarki, is a Danish, former convert to Islam and a former Islamic radical, who became disenchanted with Islamism after 10 years and went to work as an agent of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) operating in Islamic militant circles. His identity became public knowledge in 2012 when he came forward in the newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

Background

Storm grew up with his mother and stepfather in Korsør, a working class coastal town. Early in life his alcoholic father left home, and his stepfather beat him. He made friends with Arabs in his apartment complex. In school, Storm was unruly and was eventually sent to a Tvind school, where he befriended a number of criminals. He committed his first robbery at age 13, and went to jail several times for violent behavior. After jail, Storm was expelled from schools multiple times and went to special schools. In his youth, his criminal activities earned him upwards of DKK 10,000 a week. He spent the money on alcohol and drugs. At age 21, he was a prospect member of the Bandidos in Korsør during the Great Nordic Biker War.

Storm was also a talented soccer player and boxed at a local boxing club.

Involvement with Islamic militants

Storm became a member of the motorcycle gang the Bandidos at an early age. Storm later became interested in Islam after reading a biography of Muhammad, and later converted with a friend at 19. He nevertheless continued his partying lifestyle until his arrest on June 28, 1997. While in custody, he met a Danish Muslim convert named Sulaiman. After his release, Storm moved with Sulaiman to Sulaiman's residence in England to avoid angry former members of the Bandidos. During his time there, Storm began praying five times daily and grew a beard.

After 9 months in Yemen, Storm returned to London in late 1998. He then moved to Brixton, where he met Zacarias Moussaoui (the "wannabe" 9/11 hijacker) and "Shoe-bomber" Richard Reid. He became friends with Omar Bakri Muhammad Fostok, leader of the al-Muhajiroun group. The Guardian reported that while in London, "Storm and his associates inhabited a world of overstayed visas, violent online videos, idolized preachers, frustration and alienation.". Normalt udtaler vi os jo ikke om målene for vores operative arbejde. Det kommer dog næppe bag på nogen, at PET som andre vestlige efterretningstjenester har haft fokus på al-Awlaki, og at PET's operative indsats i forhold til al-Awlaki har været rettet mod at afdække konkrete terrortrusler mod Danmark eller danske interesser i udlandet, herunder eventuel kontakt mellem al-Awlaki og terrorrelaterede personer, grupper eller netværk i Danmark. (English) Normally, we do not give statements regarding the goals of our operational work. However, it will come as no surprise that PET has, along with other Western intelligence agencies, been focusing on al-Awlaki, and that PET's operational actions in regards to al-Awlaki have been aimed at uncovering specific terror threads against Denmark or Danish interests abroad, including possible correspondence between al-Awlaki and terror-affiliated individuals, groups or networks within Denmark.

At a July 2014 political event on Bornholm, Storm participated in a debate arranged by the International Free Press Society.

Personal life

Storm converted to Islam 1997, and married his first wife in 2000. Storm has three children from his first marriage; Osama, born in 2002, and Sarah, born in 2003. Storm and his first wife separated in 2005; he married his second wife in 2006. He left Islam after his work.

Publications

In 2002, he published a Danish translation of the Islamic fundamentalist book The Islamic Creed: Questions and Answers by Muhammad bin Jamil Zeno.

In August 2014, Agent Storm: My Life Inside al-Qaeda by Morten Storm with CNN reporters Tim Lister and Paul Cruickshank was published by Atlantic Monthly Press.