A mercenary allegedly hired and paid millions of dollars by the United Arab Emirates carried out a covert surveillance operation against a British activist and academic in London, according to an investigation by ITV News.
Abraham Golan, a dual Hungarian-Israeli citizen who ran the private security company Spear Operations Group, travelled to Britain in December 2016 to target Anas al-Tikriti, the chief executive of the London-based Cordoba Foundation think tank, ITV News reported on Wednesday.
Emirati financial records seen by ITV showed that Golan, who lived in the US, was being paid by the UAE while carrying out the operation. He was receiving a six-figure annual retainer, as well as substantial bonuses, including a $1m payment weeks before his trip to London for an operation in Yemen.
ITV's investigation, based on witness testimony, emails, WhatsApp messages and financial records, found that Golan worked with a former US special forces operative to locate and monitor Tikriti.
According to the UK broadcaster, Golan told a British strategist assisting him that he was working for the UAE and that Abu Dhabi considered Tikriti and the Cordoba Foundation to be aligned with groups it regarded as terrorist organisations.
