The capture of potential 20th hijacker Mohammed al-Qahtani in December 2001 was “the immediate cause for ratcheting up the military’s [enhanced interrogation] techniques. …top Pentagon officials were increasingly desperate for actionable intelligence on pending Al Qaeda attacks. …U.S. officials believed the suspect was hiding more, and that tougher measures were called for to make him talk.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Jane Mayer, The Dark Side, Pages 190-192