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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Adam Gonzales is a private <keyword id="11903597" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="security" source="Orion">security</keyword> specialist and CEO of <a href="https://hyperionservices.co/services/hostage-rescue/">Hyperion Services.</a></li><li>His company consists of former <keyword id="11898555" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="military" source="Orion">military</keyword> members who work as personal security guards and <keyword id="12281884" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hostage" source="Orion">hostage</keyword> rescuers. </li><li>This is what his job is like, as told to freelance writer Jenny Powers. </li></ul><ul class="summary-list"></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Adam Gonzales, a private hostage negotiator and security specialist. It has been edited for length and clarity.Whenever the national anthem played at a sporting event while I was growing up in Miller Beach, Indiana, I always felt proud to be an American. By the age of 20, I enlisted in the Army and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. For four years, I trained as part of a six-man, long-range surveillance operative charged with parachuting onto enemy lines undetected for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes.In 2004, I transitioned to the private military sector and became what's known by former members of the military as a corporate warrior or silent professional, outsourcing myself to the government to help support and augment US war efforts.<h2>My first job as an independent contractor was with a military defense contracting firm that was relatively unknown at the time. </h2>It was the height of the Iraq War, and I was deployed to Baghdad for six months as security to Ambassador Paul Bremer, the US Presidential Envoy to Iraq.Our team, made up of approximately 50 contractors, provided <a href="https://www.stripes.com/episode-2-soldier-turned-contractor-talks-blackwater-training-iraq-mission-1.572447">a wide range of missions</a> which included driving armored Suburbans, close protection, villa protection, and close air support with helicopters. <div type="image" title="Adam Gonzales in Iraq in 2009." height="433" width="576" msid="87240547" hostid="261"></div>I worked the night shift, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. When my shift was over, I slept when I could, at times doing double duty as a door gunner on the Little Bird helicopters that provided close air support for the ambassador. <h2>By 2013, I decided it was time to lead a more normal life and get a civilian job. </h2>I had no connections in America since I'd spent my adult life overseas, so I moved to Chicago taking a position as an electrical apprentice. Each morning I dreaded going to work. I'd sit in my truck at the job site, staring out the window thinking 'I don't belong here' and cry to myself. I lasted a year before deciding to take advantage of my military experience and make the shift to protect UHNW individuals. No longer part of a security operative, I became a one man show - the driver, the advance team, logistics manager, and protector. <h2>Nine times out of 10, <keyword id="12134305" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kidnapping" source="Orion">kidnapping</keyword> is a business transaction.</h2>For some it's a quick way to make money. A small percentage of cases, however, have nothing to do with money and are about honor or a vendetta. Those are the toughest because the clock is ticking before total loss of life.In 2015, I was called in on a case involving a woman in her late 20s who'd voluntarily joined a cult in Central America but now wanted out. She was being held against her will, and I was hired to rescue her. I knew the particular country well and had one man on the ground to gather local intelligence before I went in alone. With an aircraft on the ground waiting in the wings, I created an elaborate cover story feigning interest in joining the cult in order to get inside the compound.The cult leader bought my story, invited me in, and showed me the lay of the land. He even assigned me a room with access to a swimming pool and computer lab.On the computer, I downloaded information to share with my team on the outside, including the compound's floor plans. I also discreetly identified myself to the kidnapped woman by sharing details about her childhood I'd learned from her family.Under the guise that the woman was sick, I arranged for an outside source posing as an ambulance driver to arrive and whisk her out of the compound. From there, she boarded the private plane safely and headed home. The ordeal lasted three days from when I arrived until the rescue.I, on the other hand, had to remain in the compound a few more days so as not to raise any red flags. I crafted another story about having to leave due to an emergency with a promise to return, but instead headed straight to a hotel and spent a week decompressing in a hammock on the beach.<h2>It's hard to find meaning in your work after leaving the military, so I wanted to help fellow vets. </h2>In 2017, I launched <a href="https://silentprofessionals.org/">Silent Professionals</a>, a free job board for military and law enforcement veterans to find work in the private military and security industries. To date, the site has helped 10,000 veterans transition back into civilian life by using their background and skill set to make a living and discover a renewed sense of purpose.As our reputation grew, wealthy people with security needs began reaching out, so in 2019 the natural progression was to open <a href="https://hyperionservices.co/services/hostage-rescue/">Hyperion Services</a>, a global solutions security firm powered by high-level military-trained personnel. The bulk of our business is in turnkey executive security which runs $2,000 a day and includes lodging, meals, labor, weapons, and equipment. Often clients sign a year-long contract and pay upfront in full. In addition, we offer hostage rescue starting at $30,000 a day with a month-long commitment, as well as kidnapping prevention and disaster response services.These days, I live south of DC, in the Quantico Area. I suffer from PTSD, but my wife of five years, who is also a <keyword id="11909864" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="veteran" source="Orion">veteran</keyword>, helps me cope. It's hard to trust people and I question everything. If a new mailman shows up at our front door or the car behind me makes too many of the same turns as me, my spidey senses go off. After dealing with the most violent people on the planet and bearing witness to the types of atrocities I've seen, I view the world through a very different lens. Sometimes in bed I wonder how different my life would have been if I'd stuck with being an electrical apprentice, but before long my alarm clock goes off, and I'm back to work. Editor's note: Some details in this story were anonymized to protect the identities of the people and companies involved.

I run a private security firm where we charge $30,000 a day for hostage rescue missions - here's what my job is like

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The family of <keyword id="11913704" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="missing" source="Orion">missing</keyword> <keyword id="11940825" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nevada" source="Orion">Nevada</keyword> teen <keyword id="13468367" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="naomi-irion" source="Orion">Naomi Irion</keyword> remain optimistic that she's still alive. </li><li>A suspect was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping Naomi on Friday. </li></ul>The family of missing Nevada teen Naomi Irion remain optimistic that she's still alive, after a suspect was arrested over the weekend in connection to her disappearance. "We're hopeful and we have faith that she's still out there and we're going to bring her home," Naomi's older brother, Casey Valley, told Insider on Tuesday. <div type="image" title="Troy Driver." height="2163" width="2000" msid="90526047" hostid="261"></div>On Friday, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=346760944165137&amp;set=pcb.346762044165027">Lyon County Sheriff's Office</a> announced that 41-year-old <keyword id="13497949" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="troy-driver" source="Orion">Troy Driver</keyword> had been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping Naomi, but said they had yet to locate the young woman. Driver is expected to appear in court on Wednesday at noon local time. The 18-year-old was abducted from the parking lot of a Walmart in Fernley, Nevada, on March 12, while waiting for a shuttle to her job at a Panasonic factory. Surveillance video showed a man in a gray hoodie approaching the vehicle and saying or doing something to make Naomi move over and let him in, before he drove off.Sources told <a href="https://www.kolotv.com/2022/03/28/kidnapping-suspect-has-criminal-past/">KOLOTV</a> that one of Driver's neighbors turned him in after spotting his pickup truck, which police have been looking for in connection to Naomi's disappearance. Driver has a criminal history including a prior conviction connected to a 1997 murder, according to reports from the Ukiah Daily Journal, which were viewed by <a href="https://mynews4.com/news/local/naomi-irion-kidnapping-suspect-troy-driver-served-prison-time-for-role-in-1997-murder">My News 4</a>. According to My <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">News</keyword> 4, Driver was 17 years old when he helped dispose of the body of a meth dealer that his girlfriend shot and killed. He pleaded guilty to accessory to murder after the fact and several other charges related to robberies of gas stations and a hardware store, the Ukiah Daily Journal reported, according to My News 4. Valley said there's "no indication" that his sister had any connection to Driver. Because of Driver's criminal history, Valley doesn't believe he'll be cooperative with investigators. "We're not counting on this guy talking so we need people to come forward," Valley said. "This guy's a hardened criminal, he knows how to navigate the criminal side of the legal system. Unless there's a deal to be made ... there's no guarantee that he's going to lead us to Naomi." "The investigation is very much alive," Valley added. "Anybody who knows him needs to talk to law enforcement and anybody who has seen him in the last two weeks needs to get in contact. Anyone who might know what's he been up to needs to call Secret Witness Nevada."The <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/naomi-christine-irion/@@download.pdf">FBI</a> recently announced a $10,000 reward for information on the location of Irion, which is separate from another unspecified reward being offered by <a href="https://secretwitness.com/possible-kidnapping-naomi-irion-3-12-22/">Secret Witness Nevada</a>.Valley said there's "no indication" that his sister had any connection to Driver. A public information officer for the Lyon County Sheriff's Office did not answer Insider's call for an update on the case Tuesday morning.

The family of missing Nevada teen Naomi Irion remain optimistic she's still alive after suspect's arrest

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Business Insider spoke with four drivers who work as contracted <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> <keyword id="7552500" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Delivery-drivers">delivery drivers</keyword> about the dangers they face during the winter months, from navigating dark, rural roads and extreme weather conditions to dealing with difficult customers and package thieves.</li><li>The delivery drivers we spoke to mentioned heightened safety concerns like fear of being <a href="https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/12/19/amazon-driver-robbed-darby/">targeted</a> for robberies or even robbed <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/11/ups-driver-kidnapped-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-ne-portland-four-suspects-flee-in-honda.html">at gunpoint</a>.</li><li>One driver Business Insider spoke to said he experienced two incidents where he was being followed, which led him to call the police. Another added, "There's nothing in that van that's worth your life."</li><li>In a statement to Business Insider, an Amazon spokesperson said, "The safety of our drivers is our top priority."</li></ul>Dog bites, twisted ankles, and dealing with irritable customers are all just part of the job as an Amazon delivery driver. Many employees deliver in rural areas and have to navigate twisty, gravel, or dirt roads. Others deliver multiple 50-pound packages to the same five-story walk-up apartment building every day. But as the days get shorter and the nights get longer (and darker), Amazon delivery drivers have to deal with a brand new set of dangers and safety concerns. In recent months, several delivery drivers across the country <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/11/ups-driver-kidnapped-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-ne-portland-four-suspects-flee-in-honda.html">have been kidnapped</a> and <a href="https://www.wftv.com/news/trending/amazon-driver-held-gunpoint-delivery-van-stolen/L7HHEIG6BJBMZEL5VKEIJ2ZYUY/?fbclid=IwAR0YOJmbd7vJ1UVXl9QhByG1isFXDuUqKdtuNvM6jQpl5E1m0DSV4-5vtTg">held at gunpoint</a> for the contents of their vehicles. Many drivers are scared and concerned about these new dangers they're facing when out delivering packages during the winter months.<h2>Jim Smith, 55, lives in Scappoose, Oregan, and began driving for Amazon in March 2020.</h2><div type="image" title="IMG_3331.JPG" height="1365" width="1820" msid="80137806" hostid="261"></div>Smith joined Amazon after his freelance photography gigs were canceled indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.He's been on the job for 10 months and has already experienced the physical toll delivering for Amazon can take on one's body, like blown out knees from 10-hour shifts.Delivery drivers like Smith, who drive the bigger step trucks, get in and out of the car over 200 times and can walk up to 10 miles each day. But, according to Smith, the winter months raise different safety concerns. "The fear, or rather the reality, of possibly having your van broken into, stolen packages, or the extreme possibility of being hijacked, that's only one of the dangers that's present this time of year," he said. "For me, there have been times on routes where I see the same car a couple of blocks behind me or parked in front of me. My thought is this could be either <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5-tips-for-stopping-porch-pirates-from-stealing-your-packages-2020-10">porch pirates</a> that are following along my route and stealing packages behind me, or somebody who may have worse intent."<h2>Smith says ever since a UPS driver <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/11/ups-driver-kidnapped-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-ne-portland-four-suspects-flee-in-honda.html">was kidnapped at gunpoint in Portland</a>, he and many of his colleagues have been "on edge" while out on the road.</h2>Many Amazon vans have a back-up camera that is active even if the van is not in reverse, and Smith uses that screen to keep an eye on his vehicle's surroundings."I know that holidays make people desperate. Add that on top of the huge unemployment that we're seeing and people just barely scraping by because of COVID, I think there's a lot of motive out there right now with people financially hurting," Smith said. Smith says he stays vigilant on the job by locking his van when he leaves it and keeping his personal cell phone on his body at all times. Acknowledging that you are a target is the first step in better preparing yourself for any future potential incidents, he said. "You need to keep your head on a swivel, you need to use the technology that you have to try to keep yourself safe, and just realize that there's nothing in that van that's worth your life," Smith said. "Give them keys, give them the company phone and plead for them to let you walk away."Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-retailers-handling-final-mile-delivery-challenges-2020-11">How retailers big and small plan to tackle last-mile challenges, from third-party delivery services to acquiring their own tech</a><h2>Angel Rajal, 26, lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and has worked for Amazon for the last four years.</h2><div type="image" title="Angel_Rajal" height="264" width="352" msid="80137807" hostid="261"></div>He worked first in the warehouse and then as a delivery driver. He made the switch to deliveries in June 2020 and realized he enjoys the customer-facing experience much more than working in the distribution center packing packages. But Rajal quickly started noticing, as a driver, that he would sometimes be followed. On one occasion, Rajal noticed the same car with two women following just far enough behind him. As the car quickly approached, he noticed the backseat of their car was filled with brown packages, similar to Amazon's, and became concerned. "At first I thought they may have been Flex drivers, but they didn't have the sticker or the Amazon vest, they didn't have any of that," Rajal said. "So I notified the police and I think they were able to get them, but I'm not sure." The second time Rajal noticed he was being followed, he was in a gated community and kept seeing the same young man walk back and forth from where he just delivered. "I would see him peek around the corner just as I dropped off a package," he said. "And when I would move on to the next stop, he walked back to the same house, and that's when I knew that he was looking for the packages." Amazon has a strict policy against delivery drivers carrying weapons while working, even if a driver has a concealed carry license, Rajal explained to Business Insider. Amazon delivery drivers are considered <keyword id="3423210" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="independent-contractors">independent contractors</keyword>, not employees, but if they are found to be in possession of a weapon, they can lose their jobs. (Editor's note: Rajal and Smith are both employed through delivery service provider companies which Amazon contracts for deliveries, and are not considered Amazon employees.)Rajal said he feels fairly safe delivering during the winter season, but understands that right now as the pandemic worsens and many families are hurting economically, it's important to "check your back constantly.""Every time I'm on the road, during my job, I try to stay vigilant, making sure that I'm not going to have people approaching from behind when I'm on the side door looking for the packages, making sure that no cars are going to pull up on me," Rajal said. "That's an everyday concern because anyone can pull a gun or a knife on you at any given moment."<h2>Jennifer Harbaugh, 51, has been an Amazon Flex driver for over a year in Portland, Oregon.</h2><div type="image" title="Jennifer_Harbaugh" height="1741" width="2316" msid="80137808" hostid="261"></div>Flex drivers are like delivery drivers, except they use their own vehicles, are not employed through a delivery service partner (DSP), and are paid per "batch". Batches are typically given in three hour "blocks" and contain a certain number of packages for a specified rate. According to Harbaugh, most Flex batches are available in the evening hours, and as the days get shorter during the winter, many shifts she's delivering almost entirely in the dark. Harbaugh delivers all across the Portland metro area, including rural areas in southern Washington. She says she's had to deliver to homes with long, dirt driveways and "private property" signs.She's also been confronted multiple times by customers wondering what she was doing on their property, and was greeted one time by a man with a shotgun slung over his shoulder, wondering who she was.<h2>Since Harbaugh is a Flex driver, she drives her own personal vehicle but also wears an Amazon vest. </h2>Harbaugh recalled an instance where the delivery instructions said to place the package at the back door. It was night when Harbaugh arrived at the house. She struggled opening the gate, but figured no one was home. As she walked through the backyard, she noticed the home's "huge picture windows" and a family, including two small children, eating dinner at a table. "Those two children freaked out," Harbaugh said. "They started screaming, and then the mom grabbed the kids and the dad started screaming at me and charged out the back door. I had my vest on, and I said, 'I'm Amazon!' and then he said, 'I don't care who you are, what are you doing in my backyard?'"She then showed him her phone with the delivery instructions and the man quickly calmed down and apologized. "After that I sat in my car and cried. I had an adrenaline rush and had a couple of tears and then thought, 'Okay I'm fine.'"Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-nastya-kholodova-interview-software-engineer-stressful-experience-2020-11">A 32-year-old software engineer went through a 'super stressful' interview process at Amazon - but turned down the $167,006 offer. Here's how she decided other things were more important than money, without burning any bridges.</a><h2>Stephanie King, 56, is an Amazon Flex driver who lives in Tigard, Oregon.</h2><div type="image" title="Stephanie King" height="768" width="1024" msid="80137809" hostid="261"></div>King's been a Flex driver for nearly two years, and has also driven for Lyft and Uber. She started working solely as a Flex driver at the start of the pandemic because she worried about the safety of having other people in her car. The main concern King has as a Flex driver is making deliveries in the dark and during extreme weather conditions. Certain parts of Washington and Oregon get snow and heavy rain during the winter, so much so that King decided to put her snow tires on her car to circumvent any potential problems while she's on the road. "The more you drive, the more likely you are to be in an accident," she said. <h2>Because King delivers mostly in late evenings, she makes sure to wear bright colors. </h2>She said she drives "an Amazon blue" electric car, too. "I don't want to look like just some random person. I want to look like I'm probably from Amazon, so I wear really visible stuff, so I'm not skulking around in a black hoodie, and I do that intentionally. I want to stand out as much as possible so people see me," King said. Drivers like King who primarily deliver in the evening hours urge customers who are expecting packages after 4 p.m. to leave their front porch light on, so that the driver can first find your house number, but more importantly, be able to see where they are walking and placing the packages, so that they don't trip on extension cords or lawn furniture that could result in an injury.(Editor's note: As Flex drivers, King and Harbaugh are both independent contractors for Amazon and are not considered Amazon employees.)"If I deliver to the wrong house I could get shot for trespassing," King said. "The navigation gets us really close, but that doesn't mean I am not going to next door neighbor's, who are strung out on meth, armed to the teeth and has a rottweiler." King said although she tries to be prepared for any likely scenario, she doesn't think too much about how she may be targeted or followed. "If I was thinking like that, I wouldn't be able to do this for a living," she said. Editor's note: In a statement to Business Insider, an Amazon spokesperson said, "The safety of our drivers is our top priority." Amazon did not respond to further inquiries about the specific circumstances brought up by the subjects in this piece.

From being targeted for robbery to confrontational customers, 4 Amazon delivery drivers talk about what scares them during peak season

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A one-year-old boy has been fatally shot after <keyword id="179419" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ontario">Ontario</keyword> <keyword id="11098" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="police">police</keyword> officers opened fire on a pick-up truck while investigating an alleged kidnapping incident.</li><li>The Special Investigations Unit have said it is too early to tell if it was the police who accidentally killed the boy, but did confirm that he died of a gunshot wound.</li><li>Ontario Provincial Police were alerted to a father who kidnapped his son early on November 26, and soon found located a vehicle of interest.</li><li>Three police officers opened fire after a collision of the vehicle, and the driver of the pick-up truck was airlifted to hospital.</li><li>Seven investigators have been assigned to the case by the SIU, while the three police officers involved have been designated.</li></ul>A one-year-old boy has been fatally shot in <keyword id="6356687" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="canada">Canada</keyword> after police investigated an abduction report in Ontario opened fire on a pickup truck driven by his father.Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has said it is too early to tell what exactly transpired during the incident and cannot confirm if it was indeed the police who accidentally killed the infant.However, <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/boy-dead-officer-injured-in-kawartha-lakes-ont-police-watchdog-investigating">National Post</a> reported that SIU spokeswoman Monica Hudson said in an email that the boy died of a gunshot wound.In <a href="https://www.siu.on.ca/en/news_template.php?nrid=6167" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudson's official statement</a>, she confirmed that three of the officers fired their guns at the vehicle after an "interaction" between a 33-year-old vehicle driver and police officers. The driver was hit by a bullet and airlifted to a hospital.Of the child, Hudson wrote: "Inside the pickup truck was a one-year-old boy. He had sustained a gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene." The incident occurred after Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were alerted at around 8:46 am on November 26 that a father had been accused of abducting his son from the Municipality of Trent Lakes.Police were dispatched and located the truck in the City of Kawartha Lakes. The shooting occurred after an attempt by the OPP to force the driver to stop ended in a collision between his truck, an OPP cruiser, and a civilian vehicle.Hudson also reported an OPP officer outside of the vehicles was struck by the pickup and "sustained serious injuries." The officer is in stable condition in hospital, while the father and driver of the vehicle is also still in hospital. A post-mortem has been scheduled for the one-year-old boy.The OPP commissioner, Thomas Carrique, asked via Twitter that "<a href="https://twitter.com/SIUOntario">@SIUOntario</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/YRP">@YRP</a> be given time to investigate, without speculation on the events as they unfolded." Carrique added: "Our thoughts &amp; prayers are with those that are suffering today."An investigation into the incident has been ordered, with four investigators, two forensic investigators and one collision reconstructionist assigned to the case.Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/michigan-deputy-fired-kamala-harris-racist-facebook-photo-2020-11">A Michigan deputy was fired after posting a racist photo of a watermelon Jack-O'-Lantern she said depicted Kamala Harris on Facebook</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/man-arrested-during-job-interview-with-police-over-polygraph-2020-11">A Washington man was arrested in the middle of his interview for a state police job after his polygraph flagged concerns about criminal activity</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/man-arrested-charged-allegedly-impersonating-cop-for-youtube-2020-11">Police say a Utah man who was arrested and charged with impersonating a cop did it for his YouTube channel</a>

One-year-old boy killed when police opened fire on his father's pickup truck after a child abduction was reported

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Experts estimate that Hamas has an operational budget of more than $300 million.</li><li>It gets some of its funding from taxing imports into Gaza and creating misleading charities.</li></ul>Fighting a war is expensive. So how is Hamas — the militant group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union — funding their battle against Israel, which receives nearly $4 billion in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-aid-spending-israel-military-defense-gaza-war-2023-10">US-provided military aid</a> per year? The answer is found in a complex web of business investments, phony charities, crypto transactions, and international support that makes it challenging to determine Hamas' exact value. However, experts estimate the militant organization has an operating budget of hundreds of millions. "Hamas has two wings. It has a social service wing and a military wing, and the social service wing has been very active in terms of trying to raise funds — but that money is definitely going to the military," Victor Asal, director of the Center for Policy Research and professor of political science at University of Albany, State University of New York, told Insider.<h2>Counterfeit charities</h2>Historically, Hamas-affiliated charities — purported to provide much-needed money for residents of Gaza struggling to access sufficient food or medical care — have been a driver of funds toward its military wing. While some of the funds may ultimately reach their intended subjects, often the charitable organizations, headquartered outside Gaza and sometimes based in Western countries, are sophisticated fronts for Hamas military operations.In 2003, the <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/js672">US Treasury</a> designated five different charities — based in the UK, Switzerland, Austria, Lebanon, and France — as terrorist organizations for their support of Hamas. In 2009, the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-judge-hands-downs-sentences-holy-land-foundation-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justice Department</a> convicted leaders from the US-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development for providing financial support to the militant group.In response to the international crackdown on Hamas-affiliated charities, the group has, in recent years, relied less on this fundraising method. However, it remains a consistent source of income for the militant group, two experts told Insider. <h2>Support from Iran</h2>In addition to the charitable fronts, Matthew Levitt, a former counterterrorism intelligence analyst at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told Insider that international support, mainly from Iran, has been "the one big constant" in Hamas' funding, estimating that Iran contributes between $70 and $100 million a year to support the militant group."With Iran this enables them to have extended reach beyond their borders, to undermine adversaries — and they're committed to the destruction of Israel — it also enables them, to be perfectly blunt, to fight to the last Arab," Levitt told Insider. "You're not going to see actual Iranians, Persians, on the front lines in Lebanon or in the Gaza Strip. Iran is very comfortable deploying Arab Muslim assets who, when they do something, will be the ones to be suffering the brunt of the reprisal, not Iran."For Iran, Levitt said, funding Hamas ultimately offers a financially and politically inexpensive way to undermine Israel's stability and increase the pressure against their adversaries while maintaining an air of deniability regarding its involvement. <h2>Taxation, investments, and smuggling</h2>Recently, the Biden administration has come under fire for a September decision to <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/biden-iran-nuclear-deal-ranian-oil-revenue-frozen-prisoner-swap-2023-9">release $6 billion of frozen Iranian oil revenue</a> as part of a deal to free prisoners, which critics argue made funds available for Iran to send to Hamas ahead of the attack on Israel. Both Asal and Levitt told Insider the funds from that transaction had little to do with the latest escalation in the conflict between Hamas and Israel.But while Hamas' control of the Gaza territory has grown with financial support from Iran, so has the group's capability to earn money from the land it controls. As with many terrorist organizations that control swaths of land or trade routes, Hamas gets funding through taxation, extortion, smuggling, kidnapping, and robbery, Asal told Insider. Levitt, who currently serves as director of the Reinhard program on counterterrorism and intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Hamas oversees "anything and everything that crosses their borders" and controls the region's economic activity."When there were smuggling tunnels dug into Egypt, Hamas taxed those. When Qatar — with Israeli and US acquiescence — was giving money to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-unable-pay-salaries-gaza-after-qatari-aid-delay-officials-say-2023-07-16/#:~:text=Most%20of%20Gaza's%202.3%20million,help%20pay%20public%20sector%20wages.">pay for salaries in the Gaza Strip</a>, Hamas was able to tax that," Levitt said. "Any business. Any aid, humanitarian aid, the truck after truck after truck that would come in on a daily basis from Israel into Gaza could all be taxed and extorted — so the largest pot of income for Hamas recently has not been Iran; it's been controlled territory, and the ability to make money off of that: probably in the $300-400 or $450 million range."With the funds raised from taxing and extorting residents of Gaza, Hamas officials make substantial business investments in real estate and construction corporations, as well as mining and infrastructure companies in the Middle East and North Africa — some of which have been <a href="https://www.state.gov/targeting-covert-hamas-investment-network-and-hamas-finance-official/">designated terrorist organizations</a> by the State Department due to their affiliation with the group.<h2>Money laundering and crypto</h2>To move all its money around, Levitt said, Hamas relies largely on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-freezes-hamas-crypto-accounts-binance-helps-2023-10">cryptocurrency transactions</a> and trade-based money laundering to avoid being easily tracked."So instead of sending someone $100, you send them $100 worth of wheat or sugar or rice. And since wheat, sugar, and rice need to go into the Gaza Strip, that doesn't raise the same kind of eyebrows," Levitt said. "But if you send it to Hamas there, which is easy to do because they're the governing entity, then they can use it free up other funds. They can use it to give to their constituents and build grassroots support, or they can sell it and use that money as they as they see fit."In the wake of Israel declaring war on Hamas, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/is-biden-giving-humanitarian-aid-to-palestinians-israel-hamas-war-2023-10">US has pledged $100 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinians</a>, which <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-gaza-humanitarian-aid-diverted-cf356c48" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported may ultimately end up in the hands of Hamas due to its control over the Gaza Strip.Such aid is meant to provide drinking water, food, and medical care, "but money is fungible," Alex Zerden, a former senior US Treasury national security official, told the Journal. "And that also allows Hamas to divert money from providing for its people to support its war machine."

Who's funding Hamas?

The night the Lord of the Skies got away

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> reporter for CBS 46 in Atlanta was kidnapped when a pregnant woman hijacked a news truck, police said.</li><li>The 38-year-old suspect crashed the van a mile down the road, police said.</li><li>Neither the suspect or the reporter — who is also pregnant — suffered serious injuries.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>A news reporter for <a href="https://www.cbs46.com/">CBS46</a> in Atlanta was sitting in the back of her running news van on Tuesday when a pregnant woman jumped inside and began driving to flee the scene of a crash, police told the <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/breaking-news-van-stolen-with-reporter-inside-wrecks-midtown/FnLLakIDpuzwUC6vBuHGLN/">Atlanta Journal-Constitution.</a>Reporter Iyani Hughes, who is also pregnant, initially tried to get out of the van, but instead stayed sat in her seat and waited it out. "The reporter inside the vehicle tried to make the woman stop and pull over," Atlanta police spokesman Officer Steve Avery told the AJC. "The suspect wouldn't do that, so she did the smart thing. She got into her seat and put her seat belt on."The woman accused of stealing the van, 38-year-old Seniqua Lunsford, crashed it about a mile down the road, police told the paper. The AJC reported that Hughes was uninjured, but Lunsford was taken to a hospital where she was treated for an arm injury.The bizarre incident kicked off just after 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday when a Toyota Highlander crashed into gates in an Atlanta neighborhood while the news crew was setting up nearby. Lunsford, who was driving the Toyota that crashed, jumped into the van to escape the police officers who had arrived on the scene, according to police."While the police officers got out to check on the wrecked vehicle, the driver of that vehicle got out of the vehicle — unbeknownst to the officers — walked over to the van that belonged to the news station, got in it and drove away," Avery told the AJC. It's unclear if Lunsford's arm was injured in either of the Tuesday morning crashes or during an earlier incident. She is currently being held on a kidnapping charge, the AJC reported.Read more:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alison-parker-father-ftc-complaint-graphic-videos-death-youtube-2020-2">Local journalist Alison Parker was shot and killed on live television. Years later, graphic videos of her death still plague YouTube.</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/journalist-who-survived-assassination-attempt-challenges-mexicos-amlo-2020-2">Journalist who survived an assassination attempt confronts Mexico's president: 'They are killing us'</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/open-source-journalism-can-rebuild-trust-in-news-media-2019-12">News organizations are engaging more proactively in open-source journalism to rebuild trust in news media</a>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/pregnant-woman-stole-news-van-reporter-inside-2020-4">Insider</a>

A pregnant woman was arrested for hijacking a news van to flee police while a reporter was still inside

They started out as pioneering hip-hop moguls. They wound up building a drug empire.

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><a href="http://www.apimages.com/OneUp.aspx?st=k&amp;kw=graffiti&amp;showact=results&amp;sort=relevance&amp;intv=3d&amp;sh=10&amp;kwstyle=and&amp;adte=1349611799&amp;pagez=60&amp;cfasstyle=AND&amp;rids=3411c78f260a4b438e0a74c1043f0191&amp;dbm=PThirtyDay&amp;page=1&amp;xslt=1&amp;mediatype=Photo">AP Images</a></div>I have been in correspondence with a thirty-something college-educated woman who lives in Cairo with her family.
I've had her identity independently verified. Until now, she was reluctant to have her story published, and still asks we not use her name.
But things are getting bad over there and she wants American to know.
Here's a letter from <keyword id="6354912" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Egypt">Egypt</keyword>:
____________________________________
I'm very frustrated. I'm angry. We're seeing total security vacuum in some places in Cairo - total absence of security forces (police); non-stop clashes and deaths spilling out from Portstaid to at least 2 more governorates.
Too many deaths — protesters and policemen and <keyword id="6359526" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Military">military</keyword>. The police are cracking down on protesters and in other places they're absent and thugs are controlling the streets in downtown and in front of Semiramis Hotel. And we're seeing severe shortage of solar, which is causing awful traffic jams almost everywhere and strikes by taxi and truck drivers. 
<keyword id="60382" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Muslim-Brotherhood">Muslim Brotherhood</keyword> (MB) students are losing in student university union elections — they won in two universities but lost in several other places. 
Why is the USA giving any money to Egypt? Why does Obama Administration still support the MB?
The government is ignoring the events and protests; the Interior Ministry is heavily involved in what's happening and they too are angry because of casualties among them.
Something wrong is going on. Why is the USA silent?
Do they want another Syria? Obama doesn't know that this atmosphere helps homegrown extremists to do what they want inside and outside the country?
Some newspapers criticize Morsi and his government and policies, but that's not enough. Why did the US use harsh language with Mubarak and not doing the same with Morsi?
What kind of experience do the MB have to run the country? Did you hear about the "Powers of Attorney" by tens of citizens in Portsaid and other places for General Al-Sisi to run the country?
It is all too much to bear, believing that nobody, anywhere, really cares.
Another email a few hours after the previous:
It's been also said that members of the police force in another Governorate called Daqahliya have taken off their police uniforms and threw them on the floor, something that we saw during the January 25 revolution. They now in a sit-in opposite the Security Building in Mansoura (the capital/ main city in Daqahliya).
This violence will only escalate and will not stop before the parliamentary elections. (3/6/13 - now looks like those elections are cancelled) Of course the officials and particularly those in the Freedom and Justice Party want to restore calm before the elections. The opposition (The Salvation Front) decided to boycott the elections but other parties will participate.
We're not seeing any hope. Nothing good is happening. We don't understand what's happening. We ask ourselves - who are those people defying the security forces and attacking them? Why are our youth kidnapped and then turn up shot or killed in hospitals? It's getting harder by the day. We're only expecting economic conditions to worse and security situation to deteriorate...
It's so saddening - We're tried of seeing funerals and we're sick of the police forces firing tear gas at people in funerals. Our opposition might be weak and divided but that doesnt mean that we get ignored like this.
We're waiting for the dreaded March 9 - next Saturday. It's the day the court should issue a verdict on the famous stadium massacre in Portsaid where over 70 people were slaughtered.
Question - if this goes on, how would people go out to vote in the elections? How safe is it going to be? Who wants to give their vote to the MB? Who wants them here anymore? I know that many people don't want them. Even those who voted for them before; they regret it now.

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