Naveed Alexis Jamali
Born
Naveed A. Jamali

(1976-02-20) February 20, 1976
NationalityAmerican
Alma materNew York University (BA, 1999)
Notable workHow to Catch a Russian Spy

Naveed Alexis Jamali (born February 20, 1976) is an American commentator on national security and former FBI asset. He worked for the U.S. Department of Defense as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve. He is the author of the non-fiction book How to Catch a Russian Spy (ISBN 978-1476788821). He also co-chairs the Swatting Mitigation Advisory Committee for the Seattle Police Department.

Biography

Jamali was born to a French mother and a Pakistani father who met while attending graduate school in New York. They later opened a research procurement agency in New York City, Fascient Books, Inc., which specialized in finding academic and open-source material. Starting in 1988, they cooperated with the FBI, which was interested in Soviet (and later Russian) intelligence agents after they came into their office requesting to do business.[1]

Jamali graduated from New York University (1999) with a degree in Political Science and Government. After 9/11, he contacted the FBI to offer his services as his parents were nearing retirement. He later became a double agent when a Russian GRU member named Oleg Kulikov attempted to recruit him.[1][2] The ruse lasted from 2005 to 2009. During this time, Kulikov paid Jamali for what he thought were classified documents.[3] The operation ended with Jamali being "arrested" by the FBI in front of Kulikov, blowing Kulikov's cover as a diplomat in the United States.[4]

Following the operation, Jamali was sworn in to the United States Navy Reserve as an Intelligence Officer.[5]

Since then, he has become a contributor to MSNBC and a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, an American think tank.[6]

In 2015, Jamali and Ellis Henican co-wrote a book, How to Catch a Russian Spy: The True Story of an American Civilian Turned Double Agent.[1] 20th Century Fox purchased the film rights for the book; it was announced that Mark Heyman will write the screenplay with Marc Webb directing.[7]

On November 27, 2018, Jamali announced a run for the Seattle City Council, representing District 7, after the incumbent, Sally Bagshaw, announced her retirement.[8][9][10] He lost the primary, garnering 3% of the vote.[11]

Reporting

In 2019, Jamali joined Newsweek; first as a columnist, then as an editor-at-large. He has reported extensively on matters of National Security and Intelligence and was part of the team that broke the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi raid. .

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lozada, Carlos (June 11, 2015). "How an American slacker caught a Russian spy at a New Jersey Hooters". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  2. ↑ Mak, Tim (January 30, 2017). "House Intelligence Republicans Boycott Briefing From FBI's Russian Double Agent". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  3. ↑ "From Civilian To Spy: How An Average Guy Helped Bust A Russian Agent". All Things Considered. NPR. June 20, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ Bertrand, Natasha (April 12, 2017). "A former double agent says Russia has changed the way it recruits spies — and the FBI is playing catch-up". Business Insider. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  5. ↑ Getlen, Larry (June 14, 2015). "This ordinary Joe brought down a Russian spy at Hooters". New York Post. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Naveed Jamali". Foreign Policy Research Institute. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  7. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (February 6, 2015). "Mark Heyman to Write 'How to Catch a Russian Spy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Naveed Jamali on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  9. ↑ "Sally Bagshaw will not seek re-election to Seattle City Council". crosscut.com. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  10. ↑ "Sally Bagshaw won't run again for Seattle City Council in 2019". The Seattle Times. 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  11. ↑ "2019 Elections". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
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