The Fifth Horseman is a 1980 techno-thriller novel written by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. The story revolves Libyan-backed terrorists holding New York City hostage with a hidden nuclear bomb. A related book, Is New York Burning?, examines the same scenario, but set in 2005, with George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden replacing the depicted President and Muammar Gaddafi. Plot Libyan terrorist Kamal Dajani arrives in New York City with a powerful bomb, built by his brother Whalid, a nuclear scientist. They, along with their sister Laila, are working for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and are intent on avenging the loss of their father and their home in the West Bank. A disguised Laila delivers a written threat from Gaddafi to the White House, with instructions on how to retrieve technical designs for the bomb from an airport locker. The President of the United States (unnamed, but heavily based on Jimmy Carter) and his advisors monitor the situation and learn from the Department of Energy that it is a three megaton hydrogen bomb. The Nuclear Emergency Support Team is activated, but their attempts to search for the bomb are hindered by the technological limits of their equipment and other terrorists releasing pigeons carrying radioactive pellets to confuse the search effort. The NYPD and FBI, including Detective Angelo Rocchia and Agent Mike Rand, conduct their own investigation. The Mayor of New York City is summoned to the White House and informed of the nuclear threat by the President. They learn New York City's civil defense capabilities are extremely lacking, that a citywide evacuation has been denied by Gaddafi and would not work anyway, and that up to eight million people would be killed by the explosion and ensuing chaos, with the rest of New England receiving the fallout. Meanwhile, Israel prepares to launch airstrike operations against Libya, until the French ambassador warns Israel that the Soviet Union will launch a nuclear strike against Israel unless the strike is aborted—a threat actually requested by the U.S. President himself to keep Israel in line. Israeli President Menachem Begin learns of this and declares he will not vacate the West Bank settlements as demanded by Gaddafi, warning the Israel Defense Forces may mutiny if ordered to vacate the settlements. Rand and Rocchia make progress in their investigation, and they eventually identify Whalid and Kamal. The French fax the records of Whalid, Kamal, and