ISIS, al-Qaeda: Terror documentary series on Viceland, SBS TV looks at big five groups

A MAN who watched on as the Twin Towers fell has dedicated his life finding out what makes terrorists tick.

SUROOSH Alvi was in New York and watched the twin towers collapse.

While he had no idea he was witnessing a terrorist attack at the time, he struggles today to understand what inspires someone to commit such a deadly crime in the first place.

The founder of Vice travelled to the world’s most dangerous hot spots to find out how Osama bin Laden’s act has since inspired thousands of others.

In a five-part series, Terror, which starts tonight on SBS Viceland, Alvi investigates the origins of groups including al-Qaeda, al Shabaab, Boko Haram, Tehrik-i-Taliban and Islamic State.

Speaking to news.com.au ahead of the documentary going to air he said he had been going into conflict zones for years but this experience was by far the scariest thing he had been through.

Suroosh Alvi travels to Camp Bucca which has housed some of the Iraq War’s most radical jihadists. Picture: SBS Viceland

“In Iraq ISIS snipers were following us and got very close, which wasn’t great,” he said.

“But the scariest moment for me was riding in a boat to cross to Yemen and heading out into the unknown.

“I was actually more worried about surviving the boat ride, it was rough.”

Alvi said even after all his travels, the cause of terror remains hard to pinpoint.

“I felt like I came back with more questions than answers to be honest,” he said.

“It just isn’t that simple.”

Alvi also investigates the origins of Islamic State in Iraq. Picture: SBS Viceland

Admitting a lot of violence and instability often caused people to look to terror groups for answers he said many people were simply frustrated by international interference in their countries.

He said the rise of terror groups in Yemen could at least partly be explained by western-led air strikes which many terrorists used as a recruiting tool.

“These events literally create thousands of foot soldiers,” he said.

Alvi said he believed the war on terror started at 9/11 and we’re only now in the middle of it.

“There’s a darkness in the world that didn’t exist before,” he said.

Osama bin Laden has inspired countless terror groups. Picture: AP

Alvi said he wanted to know where this darkness came from when many people simply wanted to live their lives in peace.

But he also believes the world has become a much more dangerous place since the election of US President Donald Trump and “his anti-Muslim rhetoric”.

Terror series looks at how al-Qaeda spawned groups such as Islamic State.

He not only speaks to people in charge of fighting it but also those responsible for starting it as well as those who don’t fear death.

Alvi also looks at the impact al-Qaeda is having in Yemen, al Shabaab in Somalia, and Boko Haram in Nigeria

Groups such as Islamic State use propaganda to inspire would-be terrorists.

Alvi also travels to the front lines in Iraq where he reveals Islamic State’s rise, from the inception at Camp Bucca to the battle for Mosul.

Chillingly he also finds how al-Qaeda’s Yemeni offshoot is continuing to stay relevant.

He said terrorism has been as bad for Islam as the rest of the world and he was trying to discover whether there was any end to this cycle of violence in sight.

Terror airs tonight at 8.30pm on SBS Viceland and every Tuesday night until July 11.

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