A Most Wanted Man 3

Chapter 3 is the first time we learn more about Issa and get an inkling of why this is a spy novel. Issa's illegal arrival in the city was noticed by an elite domestic spy service. Known as the unit it wa forced on the local protectors by a recently formed all powerful committee of German intelligence units. Joint Steering as its known is supposed to improve the cooperation between these agencies due to a number or near miss terrorist plots on german soil. Gunther Bachman is the head of this unit, rumored to have created a scandal in one of his overseas posts he was relegated to a desk job in Hamburg. We also find out more about Issa. The Unit detects Issa's presence in Hamburg when the Swedish police issue a warrant for his arrest. Bachman's hacker found "Issa's Swedish police mug shot, full face, both profiles with the word WANTED blazoned over it and his name in capitals like a warninf: KARPOV, Issa"(47). Now we learn why Issa contacted Tommy Brue. His father held one of the Lipizzaner accounts and Issa is the claimant. Bachman now becomes interested in Issa. He wants to develop sources in Germany's enemies. Issa is described as a Muslim militant and Gunther probably sees this as a possible live intelligence source, the golden standard in intelligence. Bachman describes the situation "So here's where we are my friends. We're looking for a man with no patronymic and no relationship with normality. His record tells us he's a militant chechen-russianwho does violent crime and bribes his way out of turkish jail- and what the hell was he doing there anyway?- gives the slip to the swedish port police, buys himself back onto the boat he comes off, smuggles himself out of copenhagen docks, charters himself a lorry to Hamburg, accepts a beaker of refreshment from an elderly fat bastard whom he engages in conversation in Chrisht knows whose language, and wears a koran bracelet."(51).

Le Carre, John. A Most Wanted Man. New York: Scribner 2008.