The newly released book "The Day of Islam: The Annihilation of America and the Western World," (Prometheus Books) paints a frightening picture of al-Qaida's nuclear ambitions — one every American must read.

Seasoned investigative reporter and former FBI consultant Paul Williams reveals the alarming potential for nuclear terrorism on U.S. soil and the sinister connections among organized crime, illegal immigrants, and al-Qaida.

Recently, FBI Director Robert Mueller, in an interview with NewsMax, confirmed Williams' main claim. Mueller said al-Qaida's paramount goal is clear: to detonate a nuclear device that would kill hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Mueller told NewsMax that at times, the threat feels so real he lies awake at night thinking about the prospect.

Williams maintains that al-Qaida is not content on blowing up one nuclear device or even simply a "dirty" nuke — but wants to explode real nuclear devices in seven U.S. cities simultaneously.

Williams says these cities are New York, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Miami, Boston, Houston, and Los Angeles.

Mueller seems to confirm this claim of multiple attacks, saying both New York and Washington would be likely targets. Already Williams says the U.S. government has Washington webbed by "choke" points to detect nuclear material.

For many Americans the threat of al-Qaida's nuclear ambitions begins in the time after the horrific 9/11 attacks.

But as Williams shows so clearly, al-Qaida has been devising its nuclear plan since the early 1990s — and the U.S. government and other intelligence services have been well aware of al-Qaida's plan.

For example, Williams quotes Michael Scheuer, a senior CIA official who headed the agency's bin Laden unit.

Scheuer admitted the CIA "found that [bin Laden] and al-Qaida were involved in an extraordinarily sophisticated and professional effort to acquire weapons of mass destruction — in this case, nuclear weapons; so, by the end of 1996, it was clear that this was an organization unlike any other one we had ever seen."

Remember, Scheuer is describing the period before 9/11, proving again that bin Laden had been investing enormous time, resources, and money into getting nuclear weapons for more than 10 years.

Bin Laden and his adherents believe this nuclear cataclysm will usher in "The Day of Islam," the dream of radical Muslims to see all of humankind fall in submission before the throne of Allah as the "Great Satan," America, is brought to her knees.

Williams is not surprised at all that bin Laden has planned to launch such nuclear attacks, suggesting his delay is consistent with his past pattern of activities. For sure, it is a plan that has been long in its hatching.

Based on the "forgotten testimony" of the FBI's "Confidential Source One," as well as other sources, Williams first presents evidence of bin Laden's purchase of highly enriched uranium in Sudan and nuclear devices from the Chechens and the Russian Mafia.

He then offers further information on the workings of Pakistani scientists and technicians from the A.Q. Khan Research Facility to maintain and upgrade al-Qaida's "bespoke nukes" (with explosive yields in excess of 10 kilotons) for the "American Hiroshima."

Williams explosive revelations are even more worrisome because they are not simply backed up by speculation and anonymous sources, they are sourced with government reports and comments made "on the record" by top officials.

Among the explosive revelations in "The Day of Islam":

• In 1996, al-Qaida's "paymaster" and a top lieutenant for bin Laden walked into a U.S. embassy in Africa and spilled the beans on the terror group's activities — including that al-Qaida had purchased nuclear material in the Sudan
• The incredible story of a Brooklyn, N.Y., mosque that was receiving "stipends" from Uncle Sam for more than $2 million a year up until 1993 — when it was discovered the mosque was the nerve center for the first attack on the World Trade Center
• The fact that despite the hoopla about the war on terror, only one member of bin Laden's shura — or high command — has been killed
• The case of a Chicago charity that raised millions for bin Laden and even paid for one of his operatives whose sole job was to acquire nuclear weapons
• Evidence the Saudi intelligence service claims bin Laden has an arsenal of between 40 and 70 tactical nuclear weapons
• Russian sources that claim bin Laden bought 12 to 15 fully assembled nuclear weapons
• Ties between al-Qaida and the Chechen rebels who allegedly acquired nuclear suitcase devices
• Bin Laden's claim to a Pakistani journalist two months before 9/11 that acquiring nuclear was "not difficult" — claiming they were available from Russia for between $10 million and $20 million
• Author Tom Clancy's revelations he was "first bemused, then stunned" to find how easy it is for a wealthy person to develop a nuclear device equal to that dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• How atomic blueprints are available from Amazon.com!
• Evidence bin Laden spent between $60 and $100 million to build nuclear devices with the help of scientists from Pakistan, Russia, and China
• The damage even a low yield "junk" nuclear device would do to New York — with an estimated 250,000 dead in several days
• The remarkable story of two British secret agents who penetrated al-Qaida's camps in Afghanistan — and reported to Britain that the terror group was finishing work on radiological weapons
• The stunning admission of the head of Britain's MI5 who confirmed that "renegade" scientists had provided al-Qaida with the knowledge they needed to build a nuclear device
• New Jersey: the strange case of a Pakistani who died of radiological poisoning soon after 9/11, a man who had apparently served as a "mule" to transport the deadly material into the U.S.
• Axis of Evil: the secret alliance between al-Qaida and Iran that brings together two religious groups with one common goal: destroying the U.S.
• And much, much more

In "The Day of Islam," Williams takes you on a virtual tour of al-Qaida and its global operations.

You will discover their operations not only cross through Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and other Muslim countries — but through Latin America, Mexico, and even our neighbor Canada!

What emerges is a harrowing picture of international terrorist activities, all aimed at the destruction of the United States and the collapse of the Western world.

Williams also reveals the man who has been tapped by bin Laden to lead the "Day of Islam" attack in the U.S. — a man who served as the "fixer" of 9/11 and yet has never been caught. He is believed to be here in the United States.

This dangerous man has wormed his way into American culture: He speaks perfect English and passes himself off as an Italian American. He is "the most dangerous man in the world."

FBI Director Mueller has called this man "the next Mohamed Atta" — but most Americans have never heard of him or seen his image. Williams expresses dismay that the FBI, well aware of this terrorist's threat, has not fully alerted the American public.

Indeed, al-Qaida reportedly had 42 operatives as part of its 9/11 attacks, and some 23 remain as "sleepers" in the United States.

Williams also reveals that al-Qaida's operations continue here in the United States, supported by supplies and personnel who simply slip through Mexico and across our porous border.

Williams names names — including top al-Qaida operatives that have admitted that Mexico remains the main conduit point for al-Qaida penetration into the United States. This includes the smuggling of nuclear materials.

"The Day of Islam" also offers a full translation of the "fatwa" — the religious order bin laden received in 2003 which "grants al-Qaida permission to kill 10 million Americans by way of nuclear weapons."

For those who think that al-Qaida has been disabled, dismembered, or neutralized, the "Day of Islam" will provide a wake up call like never before.