The contractor providing security to aid sites in Gaza hired ten members of a U.S. biker gang with a history of hostility to Islam, according to a new investigation by the BBC.
UG Solutions, a private contractor hired to secure Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites, has employed ten individuals belonging to the Infidels Motorcycle Club to oversee aid distribution, according to the BBC.
At least seven of the gang members reportedly hold senior positions in the company, and the gang recruited at least 40 more U.S. military veterans to work for UG Solutions in Gaza, out of about 320 employees.
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The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organization backed by the U.S. government and Israel, began handing out food packages in the Gaza Strip in May. It has been facing international criticism as reports emerged of mass shootings by the Israeli military and U.S. security forces and general chaos near its aid distribution sites.
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Palestinians seek aid at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site, in August. Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP
Palestinians seek aid at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site, in August. Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP
According to the BBC report, the Infidel MC gang, which has members currently employed for securing Gaza aid hubs, was established in 2006 by U.S. military veterans who participated in the Iraq war. The members see themselves as “modern Crusaders,” referring to Christians in the Middle Ages who fought Muslims for control of Jerusalem.
The gang members have multiple Crusader-related symbols tattooed on their bodies and incorporated in their clothing, including the number “1095,” referring to the year the leader of the Catholic church, Pope Urban II, announced the first Crusade. The Infidels MC’s Facebook page has about ten thousand followers and contains blatantly anti-Islamic content.
According to the BBC, which said it found an archived web page belonging to the group, a flyer for a 2015 “pig roast” held in Colorado Springs invites guests to attend the event “in defiance of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan.”
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UG Solutions told the BBC that they carry out extensive background checks for their employees before hiring them, and do not hire anyone with a criminal background. However, according to the BBC, gang leader Johnny “Taz” Mulford is a former U.S. military sergeant, who was accused in the past of conspiracy to commit bribery, theft and providing military authorities with false statements.
Mulford, who first entered the Gaza Strip three months ago, now serves as the “country team leader” for UG Solutions and serves as its subcontractor. UG Solutions told the BBC that Mulford is a “trusted and respected figure,” with over 30 years of experience in “supporting” the U.S. and global allies.
The private contractor also said that they “stand by his reputation, record, and his contributions to the success of complex missions.” It also stated that it does “not screen for personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to job performance or security standards.”
The GHF told the BBC in response to the report that it has a “zero-tolerance policy for any hateful, discriminatory biases or conduct.” None of the gang members responded to inquiries made by the BBC.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, over 2,300 people were killed near aid sites in the Gaza Strip since May. Thousands more have reportedly been wounded.
In July, American contractors guarding GHF aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades, according to accounts and videos obtained and reported by the Associated Press.
In response, the GHF said the AP’s claims were “categorically false,” adding that “At no point were civilians under fire at a GHF distribution site.”
Two U.S. contractors, speaking to AP on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers’ internal operations, said they were coming forward because they were disturbed by what they considered dangerous and irresponsible practices. They said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed, and seemed to have an open license to do whatever they wished.
In June, a Haaretz investigation collected testimony from soldiers who said the Israel Defense Forces was intentionally shooting at the innocent civilians inhumanely crammed into line near the aid distribution centers.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz called June’s report on the GHF “a despicable blood libel.” But it has since been strengthened by the military itself: A senior army officer admitted that Gazans are being killed by Israeli shelling and said the army “is fixing this.”