A BBC investigation and corroborating reports have revealed that members of an openly anti-Islam biker gang are working as armed contractors at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites, where over a thousand Palestinians have been killed while trying to collect food.
At least 10 members of the Infidels Motorcycle Club are working in Gaza for North Carolina-based UG Solutions, which provides security at the U.S.-backed aid sites. Seven are in senior positions overseeing operations. A former contractor told reporters that roughly 40 of the 320 people hired for the GHF mission—about one in eight—are members of the gang.
The Infidels, founded by U.S. Iraq War veterans in 2006, describe themselves as “modern Crusaders.” The group uses Crusader imagery, including the cross, as a symbol. BBC reported that the gang’s social media pages include Islamophobic content, and one archived flyer advertised a pig roast “in defiance of” the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. In a Facebook post cited by The Intercept and Truthout, the group declared: “We neither support nor tolerate the Jihadist movement and those who support it. If on the other hand you do support the country’s efforts against Islamic extremism, then support your local Infidels MC!”
Florida Infidels member Johnny “Taz” Mulford, a former U.S. Army sergeant punished for conspiracy to commit bribery, theft, and making false statements, is leading UG Solutions’ Gaza operation. BBC identified him as the “country team leader” for the contract. In May, just weeks before the GHF sites opened, Mulford was recruiting online for veterans who “have a combat arms [military occupational specialty], [and] can still shoot, move and communicate.”
Mulford’s mistaken use of “reply all” to an email inadvertently copied BBC reporters, exposing the names of other Infidels leaders on the contract. BBC matched those names with the gang’s leadership records, confirming that several high-ranking Infidels are in Gaza. Larry “J-Rod” Jarrett, the Infidels vice-president, is in charge of GHF logistics. Bill “Saint” Siebe, the gang’s national treasurer, leads the security team for one of the sites. Richard “A-Tracker” Lofton, a founding Infidels member, is another team leader.
Additional contractors shared political and violent imagery online. Josh Miller, one of the team leaders, posted a photo showing contractors in Gaza carrying a banner that read “Make Gaza Great Again.” Behind them was a sign marked “FOB Mar-a-Lago.” Miller’s company sells clothing with slogans such as “embrace violence” and shirts depicting a skeleton surfing in front of a mushroom cloud over Gaza with the captions “Surf all day, rockets all night” and “Gaza summer 25.”
The gang’s use of Crusades references also appears in tattoos and merchandise. Mulford has “1095” tattooed across his chest, a reference to the year Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade. The Infidels sell hats emblazoned with the number, promoting it as “a military campaign by western European forces to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control.” Miller has the word “Crusader” tattooed across his fingers and “1095” across his thumbs.
Civil rights advocates said the symbolism signals extremist ideology. “When you see anti-Muslim bigots today celebrating 1095, celebrating the Crusades, they are celebrating the wholesale massacre of Muslims — the erasure of Muslims and Jews from the holy city of Jerusalem,” Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told BBC.
Mitchell added: “Putting the Infidels biker club in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza is like putting the KKK in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in Sudan. It makes no sense whatsoever. It’s bound to lead to violence, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen happen in Gaza.”
Nihad Awad, CAIR’s national director, said in a statement following the BBC report: “These GHF mercenaries have a history of extremely violent rhetoric against Muslims and denigrating various aspects of Islam. They should have no place in Gaza. Neither should the GHF, which must be investigated and prosecuted for its alleged crimes against humanity.”
Whistleblowers echoed those concerns. “If I went into Israel with a Nazi swastika on my arm and said ‘Heil Hitler,’ what would people think of me?” said Anthony Aguilar, a former UG Solutions contractor, to The Intercept. “They’re in a primary Arab Muslim population, delivering food at the end of the gun.”
The toll of violence near GHF sites is staggering. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, up to September 2, 1,135 children, women, and men were killed while seeking food at or near the aid sites. The UN said most of the killings appeared to have been carried out by Israeli security forces. The Israeli military responded that incidents where civilians were harmed are “under review by the competent authorities in the IDF.”
UG Solutions has denied that its contractors fired on civilians but acknowledged that warning shots have been used to disperse crowds. In a statement to BBC, the company said: “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 defended Mulford directly, saying he is a “trusted and respected figure” with more than 30 years of experience supporting the U.S. and its allies. “We stand by his reputation, record, and his contributions to the success of complex missions,” the company said.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation insisted it has “a zero-tolerance policy for any hateful, discriminatory biases or conduct.” In its statement, the organization said: “The team providing aid at the Foundation’s sites is diverse — and it is successful for that reason.”
But critics argue that the presence of Infidels members undermines any claim of neutrality. BBC found that the group’s Facebook page has hosted anti-Muslim discussions, including one comment that read: “Filling my magazine to the max. Would not be the first time we were at odds with muslims.” Other posts mocked Muslim politicians and referred to “them and their Mohammad” with expletives.
UG Solutions founder Jameson Govoni, who is not a member of the Infidels, was arrested earlier this year in North Carolina for allegedly fleeing police after a hit-and-run incident. He declined to comment to BBC.
Despite assurances from UG Solutions and GHF, rights groups say the use of gang members steeped in Islamophobic ideology at humanitarian aid sites is unacceptable. As Mitchell told BBC, placing the Infidels in charge of food distribution was “bound to lead to violence”—and with over a thousand Palestinians already dead near the sites, critics argue that violence has already followed.
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