A BBC investigation has revealed that members of a U.S. biker gang with a history of anti-Muslim rhetoric are overseeing security at aid distribution sites in Gaza, where more than a thousand civilians have been killed while seeking food.
“Infidels MC was set up by U.S. military veterans of the Iraq war in 2006 and members see themselves as modern Crusaders, using the Crusader cross as their symbol — a reference to the medieval Christians who fought Muslims for control of Jerusalem,” according to the report. “The gang is currently hosting anti-Muslim hate speech on its Facebook page and has previously held a pig roast ‘in defiance of’ the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.”
The BBC identified at least 10 members of the group working for North Carolina-based contractor UG Solutions, which provides security at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites. Seven of them reportedly hold senior positions.
The gang’s leader, Johnny “Taz” Mulford, a former U.S. Army sergeant with a history of disciplinary problems, serves as the “country team leader” for UG Solutions in Gaza. The revelations build on reporting last month by Prem Thakker of Zeteo News, who first identified Mulford as both a GHF contractor and a leader in the Infidels Motorcycles Club.
Israeli soldiers in Gaza have themselves described the aid sites as “killing fields.” Last month, the United Nations estimated that nearly 1,400 Palestinians had been killed while seeking food.
The BBC reviewed documents showing that UG Solutions pays the contractors $980 per day, including expenses, with team leaders at GHF’s “safe distribution sites” receiving $1,150 per day.
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UG Solutions defended its hiring practices to the BBC, saying it conducts “comprehensive background checks” and does not screen for “personal hobbies or affiliations unrelated to job performance or security standards.” GHF said its team is “diverse” and committed to delivering aid fairly.
But in an August interview with Zeteo News, a former worker at the GHF aid site who worked with Mulford in Gaza questioned whether his experience made him qualified to lead such an operation.
Civil rights advocates have condemned the arrangement.
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), compared putting the Infidels in charge of aid in Gaza to “putting the KKK in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Sudan.”
“It’s bound to lead to violence, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen happen in Gaza,” he said.
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In a separate statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad added:
“The Trump administration must immediately force the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation out of Gaza before anti-Muslim mercenaries from the ‘Infidels’ biker gang can oversee the slaughter of more starving Palestinian civilians. These GHF mercenaries have a history of extremely violent rhetoric against Muslims and denigrating various aspects of Islam, from Ramadan to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They should have no place in Gaza. Neither should the GHF, which must be investigated and prosecuted for its alleged crimes against humanity.”
