Dr. Adrian Hänni is a political historian who focuses on the contemporary history of intelligence, propaganda, and political violence.

What motivates a young Swiss man to take the path of political violence? In 1970, Bruno Breguet, at the age of 19, travels to a military training camp of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Lebanon and offers to take part in an attack in Israel. The mission is the beginning of a dramatic life story that will lead the Ticino native to a high-security Israeli prison, to the center of international secret diplomacy, and into the clandestine group of the legendary terrorist “Carlos the Jackal.”

The author Adrian Hänni, who researches the shadowy world of intelligence services and terrorist organizations, analyzes previously inaccessible archival sources and speaks with long-silent companions of Bruno Breguet. Hänni reveals for the first time Bregeut’s activities as a CIA agent, offers unknown perspectives on the Carlos group, and pursues new leads on his mysterious disappearance.

With an academic background in history, economics, and philosophy, as well as capabilities in seven languages, Hänni brings a global, interdisciplinary perspective to his body of work that connects the recent past with the present. For public and private stakeholders to better navigate the risks and opportunities behind some of the world’s top political threats, Hänni aims to better equip them with deeper insights and a more precise understanding of their historical roots.