John Chris Kiriakou (/kiriˈɑːkuː/ kee-ree-AH-koo; born August 9, 1964) is an American former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, author, and whistleblower who, in 2007, exposed the CIA's use of torture during the war on terror. He was an intelligence analyst and operations officer for the CIA's Counterterrorism Center and a senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Kiriakou joined the CIA in 1990 as an analyst. He became the chief of counterterrorist operations in Pakistan following the September 11 terrorist attacks and led the capture of Abu Zubaydah, who was then believed to be a high-ranking Al-Qaeda member. Kiriakou left the CIA in 2002, joining the private sector thereafter. In 2009, he rejoined government service as a U.S. Senate investigator under John Kerry.
