There are a number of factors that tend to influence one?s outcome in life. Some of these include a person?s environment, socio-economic status, family, education, and occupation. To understand what influenced Ahmad Fadil Nazzal Al-Khalayeh, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , one needs to examine what influenced him to become the world?s most dangerous terrorist. Zarqawi did not start down the road to terrorism, but rather was a small-time criminal on the streets of Zarqa, Jordan . To help in gaining some insight and understanding of how he transformed himself from criminal to world-renowned terrorist, TRC staff traveled to Zarqawi?s hometown of Zarqa, Jordan.

Ahmad, as he was known then, grew up in a plain two-story concrete house in the Al-Ramzi quarter. The house has an eight foot high concrete wall surrounding it and a vehicle belonging to a member of the Al-Khalayeh family parked outside. Zarqa today is a dusty, dirty suburb community, located 16 miles northeast of Amman. The market area of Zarqa is quite large for a city of this size. On the edges of Zarqa is the Al-Ruseifah refugee camp, which is one of the most fertile recruiting grounds for fighters in Iraq . The Zarqa Free Trade Zone bustles with activity, selling anything one might want to purchase. The Zone has an unusually large Iraqi presence.