Senior members of an anti-Islamic biker gang have been hired by US contractors and deployed to Gaza to oversee security at food distribution sites backed by the US and Israeli governments, according to a BBC investigation.
The investigation found that more than 10 members of Infidels MC, a US biker gang that uses the Crusader cross as its symbol and whose members have anti-Islamic tattoos, have been hired by UG Solutions and deployed to food aid sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. According to the BBC, seven members of the gang are in “senior positions overseeing [GHF] sites”.
They include the gang’s leader, Johnny “Taz” Mulford, who is a “country team leader” for UG Solutions and had recruited others to work for UG solutions in Gaza. He has the numbers 1095 tattooed across his chest – the year that Pope Urban II launched the first Crusade.
Mulford, whose affiliation with GHF was public, accidentally sent an email to the BBC telling other leaders of the group not to comment on inquiries – inadvertently revealing the identities of several other senior Infidels members also working for UG Solutions.
One of the contractors, Josh Miller, posted a photograph of contractors in Gaza holding a banner at an aid site that reads: “Make Gaza Great Again.” He has the numbers 1095 tattooed on his fingers.
GHF’s operations have come under scrutiny as the US and Israeli-backed group has supplanted nearly every other major humanitarian organisation working in the Gaza Strip in what critics have called a deliberate effort to politicise humanitarian aid. The US government has disbursed at least $30m in grants to GHF.
Areas near GHF sites have become particularly dangerous for hungry Palestinians seeking food. According to a UN report released in early August, at least 859 Palestinians had been killed near GHF sites. Former employees of UG solutions have told media that contractors at GHF sites have opened fire on aid-seeking Palestinians, even if there was no direct threat.
UG Solutions told the BBC that its contractors do not fire on civilians, said Mulford was “trusted and respected”, and that “we stand by his reputation, record, and his contributions to the success of complex missions.” However, the company has previously admitted that warning shots have been used to disperse crowds.
“We do not screen for personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to job performance or security standards. Every team member undergoes comprehensive background checks, and only qualified, vetted individuals are deployed on UG Solutions operations,” UG Solutions told the BBC.
In a statement to the Guardian, GHF said: “The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward any form of hateful or discriminatory behavior. Mr Mulford has not been involved with GHF since August and we are actively reviewing additional allegations.”
A Guardian investigation this week revealed how four members of one family were shot and killed in a single day by Israeli soldiers recruited from abroad and highlights a pattern in which Israeli troops target unarmed civilians.
