You're doing great, sweetie.
We should pack up. It's gonna get dark soon.
Not for another half hour. I don't wanna lose this light.
Yeah, but, Emmy, what about the checkpoint?
If you're so eager to get out of here,
go hitch a ride with Farah.
Okay.
Peter. Farah and I are leaving.
It's time to go.
All right, I'm gonna wait for the others.
No, we're leaving.
We talked about this, remember?
You gotta let me make my own decisions.
Fine.
I'll see you at the apartment.
Okay.
Thank you, sis.
I spoke with Barry, and the IRS problem isn't going away.
Barry ran some numbers.
- He said... - Just let me enjoy this, Mark.
Grab some khobz at that one food stall by the square.
- Yeah? - Mm-hmm.
- I'm down. - Yeah?
Sounds good.
Ms. Devlin, Officer Benali wants us to pull over.
Oh, he probably just wants his fee.
I know we're a little late.
There's a little extra in there just for you.
Come on, Mostafa. I have the payment right here.
Go back inside.
What the hell is going on?
They paid more.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys, look. - Oh, my God.
- Oh, my God. Wow. - Oh, no.
- Weapons. - Whoa!
- Oh, God. Oh, God. - Nobody move!
- Synced and corrected by Firefly - - www.addic7ed.com -
All right, here we go.
A bus full of volunteers
working for an American nonprofit called Guiding Hand
was hijacked last night in Morocco.
12 Americans were taken along with their local driver.
No contact yet from the kidnappers.
Where in Morocco?
The High Atlas Mountains.
That region was hit pretty hard in the big earthquake
- last year. - It was.
There are only three other aid groups working,
here, here, and here.
But they're all local, Moroccan nonprofits,
and none have gone quite as far out as Guiding Hand.
I'm shocked that Morocco even allowed an American nonprofit
to operate out there.
The area has been considered high-risk
since before the earthquake.
Remember the Scandinavian hikers murdered, 2018?
I don't. What happened?
Two university students, both female,
terrorists got hold of them and used their death
as a publicity stunt.
After that, Morocco issued a warning to all tourists
to stay away.
Okay, so let me get this straight.
The region is a hot zone to begin with,
and then post-earthquake, Morocco says,
hey, non-locals, don't go to the High Atlas Mountains,
but this group barrels in there.
Essentially.
Who's the brains of this outfit?
Emmy Devlin, 24, out of Provo, Utah,
Guiding Hand's founder.
Emmy and her husband, Mark, were both on that bus
and are presumed missing.
Emmy started volunteering in Africa
straight out of high school,
pretty robust social media following.
I've been called upon to journey forth
where no other nonprofit has been willing to travel.
At Guiding Hand, we let go of our fear
to help those in need.
Okay, so she's tripping balls
with some kind of savior complex,
and they shouldn't have been there in the first place.
But we got 13 victims out there.
Let's go bring them home.
Officer Emir Rachid.
- I'm running point for the DGSN. - Hey, I'm Agent Mitchell.
This is Raines and Vo and Megan Garretson with Europol.
Here.
Now, we've had a number of American volunteers
come in the past six months, but the High Atlas Mountains...
don't get me wrong, we appreciate the help.
But foreign aid workers are not allowed there
for this very reason.
Have the kidnappers made contact?
Not yet, but we have a working theory on who they are.
The area has seen an increase in violence
since the earthquake.
We suspect local militia is behind it all...
farmers who radicalized after their region was destroyed.
No society is more than three missed meals away from chaos.
Also this morning, an American woman showed up here,
claiming to be one of the volunteers,
Camille Gardner.
We have her in a room down the hall.
She escaped?
She left before the kidnapping.
We'll have a chat.
Okay, so let's say this is just some
pissed-off farmers who are behind this.
Are they looking to make a political statement,
or do they just wanna get paid?
They just wanna get paid.
Then maybe we got a shot.
Please tell me you found my brother, Peter Gardner.
He was on that bus.
We haven't found anybody yet.
He's only 19.
We're very sorry that you're both going through this.
Thanks.
It's our understanding that you left
right before the kidnapping.
Yeah, it was getting dark.
So why did everyone else stay behind?
Emmy, she didn't wanna leave, and she's in charge.
Well, did you notice anything out of place?
No.
I caught a ride with Farah, our guide.
We should have never been out there.
Emmy was warned multiple times.
Camille, 12 people are missing.
Now, you've been on the ground out here for three months.
We just got here.
Give us some context,
anything that you think that might be helpful.
Emmy has no medical training whatsoever,
and she's out there diagnosing illnesses
and administering IVs.
This was all starting to go to her head.
Plus her and Mark, they were having
money problems back home.
That's why they started taking more and more risks
to try to show how important
Guiding Hand could be for Morocco.
Part of me felt like they didn't
even wanna go back to Provo.
And the local guide, Farah Hamdi?
I've known Farah for 30 years.
I interviewed her.
She fully checked out.
I can share her statement if you like.
Well, Camille was right.
The IRS Criminal Investigative Division
has several cases open on the Devlins,
so Amanda's gonna dig into it more,
and she's gonna reach out to the case agent.
The kidnappers called dispatch.
They wanna speak to whoever's in charge.
- They speak English? - They do.
- May I? - By all means.
We will try and trace the call.
This is Agent Wes Mitchell on behalf of the FBI.
Who am I speaking to?
Call me Elyas.
Okay, Elyas.
I assume you're the boss and the shot caller
in this situation?
Correct.
And you have our American charity workers
and the driver with you?
Yes, and we want 20 million for all the hostages,
delivered in crypto.
I'll send you the ID for the wallet.
Okay, I understand your number,
but you have to realize
the U.S. Treasury doesn't work in crypto,
so it's gonna take some time to get that together.
We can get paid, or we can kill people.
Either way, this is going to be done
very simply and quickly.
Okay.
From our end, we need to know that the charity workers
are okay and that you're taking care of them.
I sent the DGSN a video.
My name is Mark Devlin.
A group of us volunteering for Guiding Hand
were captured last night.
We're all safe for now, but please
do as the kidnappers ask.
Meet their demands. We just wanna go home.
Elyas, I appreciate you sending that.
Can I ask you what happened to Mark's leg?
He tried to be brave.
If he receives medical attention soon,
then he will live, but that's up to you.
Understood.
My bosses are gonna need to know that the rest
of the charity workers are okay.
The others are alive but separated for now.
I warn you, though, do not test my good graces,
or all you will get back are corpses.
Elyas, is there any chance I could talk to Mark?
It would go a long way towards goodwill.
Hello.
Mark Devlin?
Yes.
Hey, you hang in there, buddy.
We're gonna get you home soon, okay?
Is anyone else hurt?
I don't know. They got us in separate rooms.
My wife, Emmy, is...
Get your hands off me!
Mark, just try to stay calm.
Do not try and find us.
If you attempt to rescue, there'll be consequences.
You have 12 hours.
Then we'll start killing the hostages one by one.
He was using VoIP.
My team is trying to figure out the service,
but the account is unregistered.
Okay, let's just focus on combing through every inch
of the proof-of-life video.
Look for anything that can narrow down a location.
Emmy Devlin just showed up at a police station in Manchuria.
Emmy Devlin?
I'm Agent Wes Mitchell. This is Cameron Vo.
Americans, thank God.
The others, please tell me you found them.
They are being held as hostages,
and we are in communication with the hostage takers.
But for now, we believe everybody is okay.
What about Mark? He was shot.
Mark is all right.
We just spoke with him.
Mark is okay.
Emmy, how did you get away?
There's a checkpoint.
The officer there, Mostafa Benali,
just refused to let us through.
He kept yelling at the driver to pull over.
Mostafa is absolutely involved in this.
I tried talking sense into him,
but that's when these guys with guns showed up.
I blocked the bus entrance like this.
I said, come any closer, and you'll have to shoot.
And I meant it.
That's when one of them knocked me
in the back of the head with his gun.
When I came to, they were gone.
And I walked back.
Okay.
If you were knocked out, at what point
did you see your husband get shot?
Must have been right after I blocked the bus.
Yeah, I screamed at them,
and that's when they pistol-whipped me.
Did you see the kidnappers' faces?
They were wearing masks,
but I could see this little part around their eyes.
They're white.
You're sure about that?
1,000%.
And besides Benali, did anybody else know
you were in the High Atlas Mountains?
Camille, Camille Gardner,
and our local guide, Farah Hamdi.
They both left early.
- Did they say why? - No.
Camille was in a hurry.
She didn't even help us pack up.
Hmm.
Is she okay, Camille?
Yeah, she's fine.
She's in Marrakesh.
She's being very cooperative.
What's she saying?
Just general details.
Is there something we should be on the lookout for?
No, other than she hates me.
Why is that?
She doesn't understand
what Guiding Hand is trying to do here.
May I?
Heavenly Father, please be with our loved ones.
Emmy, um, every second counts for us.
Okay? You do your thing.
Of course. Yeah, I understand.
We're looking for Mostafa Benali.
He's not here.
Have you spoken to him today?
No. Now move along. People are waiting.
We need to take a look at that bus.
Who said you guys could use this
as your personal break room?
Only place to eat indoors.
There's food on the seat.
There's fingerprints all over.
This level of contamination is...
I sit in that booth.
Making sure your crime scene
remains untouched is not my job.
Crime scene? What crime scene?
Your friends here just turned our most valuable piece
of hard evidence into a party bus.
Then this shouldn't take long.
Off.
Now! Off!
Andre, footprints.
Check this out.
You can't buy these in Morocco.
Someone had a front-row seat to a kidnapping.
So the IRS cases against the Devlins?
They've been using the charity as a personal piggy bank,
diverting charitable donations for personal use,
cooking the books, tax fraud.
They're looking at multiple counts
of mail and wire fraud and embezzlement.
Not to mention civil actions for financial misconduct
and corruption.
I can't be the only one thinking this, right?
But I mean, 20 mil would go a long way to cover that.
Well, if Emmy and Mark are behind it,
why would they leave Mark behind,
let alone let him get shot?
It's too suspicious if they both escape.
I don't know, it seems like a pretty massive undertaking
for two people who were sloppy about dodging the IRS.
I've seen more desperate. And stupid.
Okay, well, what if they didn't orchestrate it?
But they were half hoping it would go down,
which is maybe why they pushed too far
into the hot zone, right?
Didn't Camille say that these two
weren't too eager to go back to the U.S.?
Yeah. Forget savior complex.
What about martyr complex?
Better to be remembered as a brave missionary
who died for their cause than to face 50-plus years
for stealing from the coffers.
I think we got something. Kyle?
I pulled this from the proof-of-life video.
Only landmark with this type of wall
is a fortress in Kasba Tadla.
And we narrowed down the location to a five-mile radius.
Internet usage spiked at these coordinates this morning.
Looks like it used to be a school.
Ready. On you.
Cam!
Cam, are you hit?
- Are you hit? - No.
- You guys okay? - I'm fine.
IED, make it safe.
- You're good? - Yeah.
You're good?
Clear.
Vodka.
- You sure? - It ain't whiskey.
It's just that Morocco is primarily Muslim,
so imported alcohol is pretty scarce.
No, it's definitely vodka.
Judging from that, the IED, the recorded voices,
these aren't the moves of desperate farmers.
Mitchell.
You broke the rules.
Do it again, and we'll kill a hostage.
Oh, now, you have eight hours.
I'm good. I don't need this. I'm good.
- Yep, right. - Thank you.
- Oh, okay. - Okay.
Sure you're okay?
Yes, all good.
You?
I was one second away from being on that arm.
That's why we have backup.
That's why we make plans.
That's why we move in formation.
And that might be why you have a training agent when you first
get out of the academy that's a royal pain in your ass
and a stickler for details.
Thank you.
You'd have done the same for me.
Okay?
Just got a hit on our Interpol Blue Notice.
Mostafa Benali is trying to skip the country
with his wife and son.
He just purchased three tickets
to Spain through Algeciras.
Hit it.
I put myself at risk every day,
letting that bus through.
The payment was for my troubles.
So you admit to accepting bribes?
Arrest me for bribery if you like,
but I played no part in this kidnapping.
Armed men rode up to your station.
Why didn't you call the cops?
Where I'm from, if you see a man get stabbed on the street,
your first concern isn't the man's fate.
It's whether or not the killer saw your face.
Well, be thankful it's us you're talking to.
The Moroccans want your head on a stick.
But cooperate and we can get safe passage
for your wife and son.
Emmy Devlin and I had a deal.
50 dirham to get in, 50 dirham to get out.
One day, she starts only paying to get in,
saying that helping her was for the divine will.
Divine will doesn't get as much done as cash.
So she stiffed you,
and you found another bidder willing to pay more.
I didn't know what they were planning.
I swear it on my son's life.
What did you think was gonna happen?
They were gonna sit down and have a nice cup of tea?
The kidnappers paid me five times what I make in a year.
Who were they?
Okay, so Benali said the men
who approached him were Russian.
They didn't use any names, but they said
the guy in charge was called Colonel.
Colonel Arkady Federov.
Fits the physical description Benali gave.
Ex-Wagner Group.
Word on the wires is, he split off
from the rest of his comrades to line his own pockets
outside of the group's agenda.
Six months ago, four Vietnamese missionaries in Mali
were also kidnapped for ransom.
Federov was suspected of being behind it.
Yeah, but the guy we spoke to on the phone, Elyas,
he sounded Moroccan.
Yeah, but all Federov has to do is hire a local mouthpiece
for the negotiations.
He got Benali to serve up 11 innocent people for,
what, 6 grand?
Chump change compared to the ransom.
In Mali, Federov made off with 5 mil.
Now with the hostages all being American,
he thought he'd get a bigger payday.
Benali said he met Federov's lackeys
inside some sort of industrial compound.
But he was wearing a blindfold,
so he couldn't give us a location.
CIA's intel puts Federov in the Rif region.
Looks like he owns a couple
of warehouses in the downtown area.
Towards that, Federov's also got some offshore companies
with holdings in Africa, a lot of investments
in phosphate mining.
There are a couple mines in the area.
Those look like active work sites.
Not ideal for moving 11 hostages in and out.
And Benali said he heard civilian voices.
I found one phosphate processing plant
with worker housing on site.
These images are a couple of months old,
but I'll see what else I can dig up.
Thanks.
Should we get eyes in the air?
Definitely.
So how'd it go sideways?
Montrose.
I know a search and seizure at a gated complex
turned into a 24-hour standoff.
5277, CID's extension.
They'll get you the official case file.
I am asking you.
Okay.
Simple search and seizure, just like you said.
Huge drug op.
We rolled up, and...
the head lunatic, this guy Cerullo, he tells us
he's got the whole place rigged to blow.
Now, I had a guy inside, and he says Cerullo's bluffing.
He also says there's no civilians in there.
I worked that CI for two years. I trusted him.
So based on that intel, I made the call to breach.
Me and my partner, we make our way to Cerullo,
and when we get there, there he is.
He's standing in front of his kids.
They're all under the age of seven.
And he's ready to burn the whole thing down.
And I froze.
Just for a split second, I froze.
My SSA came in as backup,
and Cerullo clipped her in the femoral artery.
She bled out before we could ever get her help.
Alana Greggs.
Mm-hmm.
What happened to the kids?
They made it, but I shot their dad in front of them.
Without his testimony, the whole case evaporated.
Where are we at with this thing?
Good to go.
Amanda, drone's up and running.
And we're live. Thanks, Cam.
Drone picked up a visual confirmation on Federov.
The hostages have gotta be somewhere on this compound.
What's our status on tactical?
We have hostiles posted up here and here,
patrolling our one point of entry.
Credentials are checked every time,
but the hub's clocked several of these supply trucks
going in and out.
All right. That's our way in.
Okay, we got U.S. military support from AFRICOM.
They're giving us thermally equipped UAVs.
We need eyes on every nook and cranny of this facility
before we breach. I don't want any surprises.
We've got a problem.
Emmy just released a video.
Join hands with me in gratitude.
The FBI and U.S. military have arrived
to rescue our loved ones from where
they're being held captive in the Rif region.
If we're seeing this, so is Federov.
How the hell does Emmy have this intel?
I put two agents in charge of watching her.
I have no idea how this could have happened.
We need to move in, now.
You said this was a 30-man full tactical operation.
If we wait for the military, we're gonna miss our shot.
There's ten innocent Americans in there.
I can't risk my men.
Whatever you need on the outside, you let me know.
Otherwise...
Understood.
Okay, let's go.
Okay, listen, we're about to get a lot closer
in the next few minutes.
I've been here before; things can go bad really quick
if we're not in constant communication.
I'm gonna assume all responsibility
if this goes wrong.
This is the part where I should say anyone can opt out,
no judgment, no repercussions.
- I'm in. - Same.
Me too.
Okay, let's gear up.
Amanda, I see movement, bottom left.
They look like civilians, 12 of them, young kids.
Wes?
If you think we should wait...
We can't.
Let's go.
Uh-uh. Drop the phone.
You speak English?
Drive us to the compound.
There's 20,000 euro and a two-day head start for you
on the other side of this.
But if you mess around and try to call it in,
your life gets real bad real quick.
Understand?
Get us in the security system.
Cam and I will find the hostages.
- On it. - Let's go.
Psst.
Amanda, we're in.
Go wild.
Gonna need a couple minutes here.
Amanda, any eyes on the hostages?
I think I just found them.
There's a subterranean floor at the center of this complex.
I can't get visuals inside the room,
but I'm seeing one merc patrolling the area.
Lead the way.
Okay, follow the round building,
and you'll see the entrance straight ahead.
Cam, move.
Wes, move.
Let's go.
Move.
Do it.
Move.
Federov's convoy just landed.
End of the hallway, make a right.
One merc on guard.
FBI.
Hey, we're in here!
Okay, Amanda, we found the hostages.
We're getting ready to breach.
Hey, listen, we're gonna get you guys out of there.
First, I need everyone to stand as far away
from this door as possible. Do you understand?
Yeah! Yes!
Okay, ready.
Amanda, are we clear?
Negative.
One of those pipes running over that door
looks like an exposed gas line.
Activate that breacher strip, and half the compound
gets leveled in seconds.
Oh, we've got another problem.
Federov and four mercs are heading straight towards you.
Amanda, we're running out of time.
Tell me you got an ace up your sleeve.
Working on it.
Wes, do we engage?
No, not out in the open.
It's gonna draw them out.
Okay, we've got four hostiles approaching.
Do we have access to the compound's emergency protocols?
Smitty and Raines got us into the PLC system,
but beyond letting us change
how the phosphates are processed...
That's it.
Overload the logic controller with inputs.
If we trick the system into thinking there's
a chemical leak, that should set off
the plant's evac protocols.
Warning, chemical leak in building 10.
It worked.
Federov's moving off.
Okay, Amanda, this door
is not coming down without firepower.
Can you ax the gas line?
Let me check if it's hooked up to the same PLC.
You're good to breach.
Go.
All right, is everybody away from the door?
- Yes! - We're clear!
All right, we're breaching.
Three, two, one.
It's okay! I'm Agent Vo.
This is Agent Mitchell with the FBI.
Is everybody okay?
- I don't think he can walk. - No, I'm okay. I'm good.
Okay, we're not in the clear yet.
We gotta get to the transport.
Stay right behind Agent Vo. I got him.
All right, everybody pick a partner.
Hold on to each other and do not move unless I say so.
- Go against the wall. - You can walk? Yeah?
- Come on. - Come on. Let's go.
Okay. All right, all right. It's okay.
It's okay. Get them to the truck.
I'll be right behind you.
Go!
Do you have a belt? Do you have a belt?
- Yeah. - Come here.
- You can help me out. - Let's go.
You're gonna help me carry him, okay?
Hey, listen, this is gonna hurt, okay?
Yeah.
Okay. It's okay. It's okay.
It's okay. All right.
All right, help me get him up. Come on.
Let's go. Let's go. Come on, buddy.
Let's go. Let's go.
All right.
Where's Wes?
He's on his way.
Orders are to keep moving.
Federov's got some men patrolling,
so keep your eyes open.
You got him? Can you hold him up?
- Yeah. - Hold him up. Hold him up.
Okay, I'm gonna cover you guys. Let's move.
Mark!
Hey!
What are you doing?
What the hell are you doing?
There are civilians here, women and children.
The Russians are holding them against their will.
Those people live here. They're not prisoners.
Step away from him.
I'm not moving until every man, woman, and child
on this compound is safe.
You hear me?
I'm not leaving.
I won't go back.
We can't go back.
All right.
Hey, look at me!
You wanna die a martyr?
I can make that happen.
Wait.
I'd rather die right here.
I'm not leaving.
Do I look like I'm joking?
- You okay? - Yeah.
- Can you help me get him up? - Yeah.
Let's go, come on. Let's go.
Let's go. Let's go. We're out of here.
Amanda, we have all the hostages.
What does the gate look like?
Minimum complement.
You'll have to force your way out.
- Brace yourself! - Hold on!
Hey, Peter.
Thank you.
We're just glad you're okay.
Um, Peter...
At the checkpoint,
there was a vantage point behind some rocks.
It looks like someone was posted there
watching the whole thing go down.
- Do you have any idea who? - Emmy.
When the kidnappers got close, both Emmy and Mark ran.
The rest of us, we were stuck in the bus,
so we couldn't move.
They shot Mark, and Emmy kept running toward those rocks.
You think she was involved?
No. The kidnappers, they...
they fired a couple shots at her.
Then they gave up.
And they started securing us.
They're putting us in their vans.
Peter!
We just arrested the Russians'
Moroccan accomplice, Elyas.
Real name, Tarik Amrabat.
- He talking? - Not yet, but he will.
All I did was say the words that he told me to say.
This is Federov's associate.
Yeah, I recognize the voice.
We have Federov in custody.
Either we get the story from him,
or you tell us what you know and maybe I drop some charges.
Federov goes after aid workers.
They're far from home, with no protection.
He got a tip that these Americans
were working in an area they weren't supposed to be.
He reached out to me, offered me 5%
of whatever he ended up with.
I asked around.
The guard at the checkpoint,
he was willing to work with us.
The leader of the aid group
hadn't paid him in weeks, so he sold her out.
There are 50 other aid groups in Morocco.
Why target this one?
Because they made it too easy.
Why in God's name they were that deep
in the Atlas Mountains, I have no idea.
But that woman, the group's leader,
she turned herself and all her comrades into targets.
What's going on?
Mark refused to leave.
Not only did he harm Peter Gardner, but he endangered
the whole operation, risking the lives of everyone involved.
Can I have my phone back, please?
I need to let our followers know what happened to Mark.
Absolutely, you can have it back the second
you've been processed.
Processed?
You're being flown back to the States tomorrow.
And leave Mark? Absolutely not.
No, Emmy, you don't have to worry about leaving Mark.
You're both going.
We spoke to the IRS, and they have a number of cases
open against you... mail fraud, wire fraud, embezzlement,
few others I think I'm forgetting right now.
The DOJ is pursuing an indictment as we speak.
Then I'm not going back.
No way. I wanna stay here in Marrakesh.
You're a scam artist hiding behind a nonprofit.
The Moroccans are revoking your visa.
They want you gone.
You can keep the T-shirt, though.
She's all yours.
We were able to get custody of Emmy and Mark
under guarded house arrest.
But the IRS case agent and the U.S. Marshals
are on their way to transport them back home.
Oh, and get this.
Her GoFundMe page just hit 200K.
At least we know she can't stiff her lawyers.
Hmm.
Um, we need to talk.
Can it wait?
I was looking forward to a little chill time.
No, can't wait.
Okay, what's up?
Rookies have to buy a round.
We've been waiting, letting it slide,
but clearly, you need a kick up the arse.
Oh, rookie, is it?
Oh, on this team?
You are.
First of all, I'm not a cheapskate.
- I resent the implication. - Yeah.
Second of all, we've been going pretty much nonstop.
You talked me into leading this team.
I've been staying in temporary quarters,
and I'm currently moving into a new apartment, so...
You made sure they're cold, right?
Careful, or you're walking home.
You know, I will point out that Mike Brooks
used to say the FBI stands for Fearless Beer Imbibers.
Well, to Mike.
- Wish I would have known him. - You would have loved him.
And Alana.
To all those who lost their lives in the line of duty,
may their courage and dedication never be forgotten.
Cheers to that.
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