Faisal and six of Jabir’s men had been let in the previous morning by a maintenance worker sympathetic to their cause. Faisal headed for the level three tunnel. He had been informed that it was perfectly positioned, about two thirds the way down the dam — its weakest point if blown from inside. Faisal directed the men as they stacked the wooden crates of explosives up against the wall. He then took great care inserting the detonator into the priming charge. He ran wires to a battery pack and checked that the circuit worked. It was done. A flick of a switch was all that was needed to detonate a bomb big enough to punch a massive hole in the dam. He knelt and led his men in prayer before sending two of them to guard each end of the tunnel, and the remaining pair to patrol the level above. With less than half an hour to go, and having spent the day reading aloud from his Qur’an, Faisal readied himself for his journey to Paradise. He shaved off his beard, then pouring water into a small bowl, he washed his face and hands.
