Tommy Corrigan Passes Away

I wanted to mark the passing of Tommy Corrigan, a 20-year veteran of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, who died of complications from leukemia on Monday.

I met Tommy a few years ago while working on a documentary about the Bosnia war. His reputation as one of the smartest, most knowledgeable people investigating terrorism preceded him, and he lived up to it. He worked on some of the most important cases of the 1990s, including a major part in breaking up the Brooklyn terrorist cell connected to the World Trade Center bombing and a subsequent plot to blow up the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, a tragedy he helped prevent, and later conducting a lot of early work looking at Al Qaeda.

We kept in touch, and Tommy was a tremendous help to me as I worked on my book. After the book was finished, we continued to talk. He had a very active spirit and was going stir-crazy under restrictions on his activity that stemmed from his fight with leukemia, and we'd talk about cold cases and the minutiae of some of his cases.

I am certain I talked to him more after the book was finished than I did while interviewing him. I was always glad to hear from him, and I considered him a friend. He will be missed.

Click here for more about Tommy Corrigan, including arrangements.

Labels: Tommy-Corrigan

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Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

 

JTTF's Tommy Corrigan Needs Your Help; Bone Marrow Testing Dates

I first met Tommy Corrigan in 2008, when I was working on a documentary about American jihadists who were supporting the war in Bosnia. Since then, he has picked up the phone for me many times, answering a series of increasingly obscure questions that would test the patience of most people.

But then, he's detail-oriented. Many of you already know his name. Corrigan is a former detective with the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force. He played a crucial role investigating the World Trade Center bombing and its aftermath, including a plot to blow up New York City landmarks that was thwarted thanks to the JTTF's efforts. He spent years after investigating Al Qaeda until he retired to open a pub on Long Island.

Corrigan and friend Matt Curran are in need of bone marrow transplants. The Marrow Registry is holding two testing sessions in New York and Long Island to look for compatible donors.

The test is fast and painless, but it can help save a life. If you're in the New York area, please stop by one of these locations to be added to the registry:

Saturday, February 12, 2011
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
East Quogue Firehouse
465 Main Street
East Quogue, NY 11942
Flyer

Tuesday, February 15, 2011
2:00 pm – 8:00 p.m.
Cornerstone Tavern
961 2nd Avenue (corner of 51st & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Flyer

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Labels: JTTF, Tommy-Corrigan

Views expressed on INTELWIRE are those of the author alone.

Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink