Following the capture of terrorist Abu Anas al-Libi in Libya over the weekend, INSIDE EDITION spoke to interrogation expert Tony Camerino about possible questioning techniques.
The terrorist captured in a daring raid in Tripoli, Libya, is being interrogated aboard the USS San Antonio in the Mediterranean.
Interrogation expert Tony Camerino knows better than anyone how the interrogators questioning Abu Anas al-Libi are going to break him.
He told INSIDE EDITION, “My experience is that it's not difficult to get information from these guys.”
He's a veteran of 1,300 interrogations and he says the most senior al-Qaeda operatives are the easiest to break down.
“The reason why is they tend to have big egos and they want to share that knowledge because of that ego. Sometimes those are the guys who supply the best information,” he said.
But he says al-Libi will not be subjected to water boarding or other harsh treatment as depicted in the movie Zero Dark Thirty. Those techniques are banned by the Obama administration.
INSIDE EDITION's Jim Moret asked, "Is water boarding permissible?"
He said, “Cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment can't be used against him.”
Instead interrogators are more likely to treat al-Libi well and offer him inducements.
Camerino said, “We always had what we called a 'soft room,' where we sit them down in a leather chair, serve them tea and try to convince them that working with us isn't so bad. This is what it would be like if you cooperated with us."
Al-Libi was captured outside his home in front of his wife and sons. Camerino says interrogators are likely to use his strong family ties to break him down.
Camerino explained, “You can't say, 'You'll never see your family again if you don't cooperate' because that's a threat. But you can say, 'We can afford you certain privileges such as being able to call your family or maybe allowing your family to visit.'"
But, Camerino says getting al-Libi to break is vital, saying, “Libi has a wealth of information. One, because he is a computer guy and so even if he doesn't know the tacs, just to being able to expose al-Queda's communication networks would be more valuable than telling us who he knows."
