Omar Kellesh & Yusuf
Yusuf was forty-five years old and had worked as a personnel security advisor for the Saudi Royal Family for fifteen of those years. He was directly responsible for the safety of the Kellesh family in England for the last five uneventful years. Yusuf was educated and brought up as a moderate Sunni Muslim. After completing his education he joined the Saudi armed forces as a commissioned officer after university. He was selected for a unit that was spending time training with British Special Forces in Egypt. Following that he was selected for counter-terrorist security and placed on the payroll of the Royal Family. Yusuf`s first assignment was as a close protection agent at a meeting of OPEC (Oil producing countries) in Geneva, which was being attended by high-ranking ministers from the richest nations on the planet. The meeting was targeted by a terrorist organisation from Venezuela. The terrorists stormed the meeting, which was being held on the first floor of a government building, killing two policemen in the process. The leader of the attack was the infamous terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal, and although a Muslim himself he had a tainted opinion of certain Islamic countries, which in his opinion were becoming servants to Western governments. His agenda was the annihilation of the Jewish state of Israel, the freedom of Palestine, and the removal of Western backed Arabian governments. Carlos separated the diplomats into three groups, which he categorised as the conservative countries, Algeria, Libya and Kuwait. The neutral countries of, Venezuela, Indonesia, Gabon, Ecuador and Nigeria; and finally the countries that he considered to be the enemies of Islam, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iran and Qatar.
His intention was to demand a huge ransom for the safe return of the Foreign ministers and to execute the representatives of the countries he called criminal. Carlos and his two affiliates separated the liberal ministers into different rooms and segregated the others. They then surrounded the `criminal` diplomats with explosives. They had not identified Yusuf, who had remained calm throughout the incursion, and dressed in a business suit he had convinced the unsuspecting terrorists that he was a Foreign minister too. Throughout the hostage situation it became very clear that Carlos the Jackal had a violent temper, and Yusuf was convinced that he intended to execute everyone if necessary. The tension amongst the foreign diplomats was dreadful as negotiations with the authorities began for the release of the valuable hostages. A telephone call was received by the kidnappers from the security services that surrounded the building, who were trying to negotiate with Carlos for the release of the diplomats. In a moment of extreme anger Carlos emptied the magazine of his machinegun into the telephone switchboard. The switchboard was blown into a thousand pieces as the high velocity bullets struck. When the Terrorist`s machinegun clicked empty Yusuf made his move. Within seconds Yusuf had shot and mortally wounded all three terrorists without them firing a shot. Yusuf reloaded his 16-bullet Glock 9mm and emptied the entire clip into Carlos`s dying body. He then repeated the process with the two other terrorists to ensure that there was no chance of survival, sixteen bullets for each terrorist. Yusuf was hailed a hero and moved into key Saudi close protection roles immediately afterward.
Now he was stood next to his charge, Omar Kellesh, in Euston station, London, waiting for a kidnapper to call. They were instructed to wait for a call at a specific bank of public pay phones. He checked his chronograph watch and saw that it was exactly an hour since they had received the first contact from the kidnappers. Suddenly a phone rang. Omar snatched the receiver from its cradle and stammered into it.
“Hello, Hello. Is anyone there?” Omar took the phone from his ear and looked into it as if he could see the person at the other end if he stared hard enough. The ringing sound continued and Omar became confused. Yusuf reached past his boss and felt beneath the metal body of the phone. He removed a Nokia cell phone that was taped to it, and it was still ringing.
“Hello,” Yusuf said into the Nokia pretending to be his boss Omar.
“You are not Omar Kellesh. Put him on immediately,” said the voice, a heavy guttural accent reinforced the Russian connection. Yusuf now knew that whoever was making the call could see them from wherever they were positioned. There is no way they could have known that he was not Omar, unless they were being watched. Yusuf passed the phone to Omar and stepped away from him scanning the floors above them as he moved. He expertly tried to identify where the caller could be stood. There were several people stood in the correct position to be observing them but no one was using a cell phone simultaneously. Yusuf left Omar and blended into the crowd frantically trying to find the kidnapper before they ended the call.
“This is Omar Kellesh,” the Saudi minister said shaking uncontrollably. He looked toward Yusuf for support, but he was nowhere to be seen. Omar was suddenly very frightened, Yusuf`s presence made him feel safe but he was gone.
“If you feel beneath the telephone you will find the key to a left luggage locker. Take it and make your way to the lockers,” the Russian voice directed him. Omar felt underneath the metal box and grasped a piece of duct tape. A silver key was attached to it; there was also a metal disc with the number thirteen engraved on it. He looked around the crowded station area desperately trying to spot Yusuf. The station hall was five hundred yards square surrounded by restaurants and retail outlets. There were thousands of commuters in every direction he looked, it was hopeless to try and find Yusuf; he had to follow the instructions to save Jeannie by himself without his protection agent. It occurred to him that whoever was directing him could have taken Yusuf. If they could remove a man as skilled as Yusuf then they would have no problem killing him. He felt alone and exposed without his trusted bodyguard.
Two British Transport Police officers passed by him and eyed him coolly, because of the explosions at Piccadilly station officers were being extra vigilant. Omar realised that he must look like he was under immense stress, as sweat was running from his forehead down across his cheeks. He felt completely lost and frightened, so he started toward the police officers wondering if they could help him to recover his daughter, panic was beginning to set in. If he alerted the British police to Jeannie`s kidnap the perpetrators would surely kill her, but he could see no alternative. Suddenly he was grasped tightly by the arm, strong fingers dug into the soft flesh inside his bicep. Omar felt himself being guided roughly away from the policemen.
“Your daughter is a very attractive young woman Mr Kellesh. I think that her guards would have fun with her before they killed her. You should not consider talking to the police,” the Russian voice hissed into his ear. The grip on his arm tightened and pulled him toward the left luggage area.
“Who are you? Why are you holding my daughter? Please don’t hurt my daughter,” Omar whispered almost vomiting from the fear that overwhelmed him. The thought of his beautiful daughter spending the last hours of her precious life being brutalised by violent men made his knees weak. The grip on his arm was now bearing his weight as his legs refused to carry him. Fear gripped him and turned his heart to ice.
“I am called Yuri, and your daughter will be safely returned to you untouched if you cooperate. The lockers are fifty-yards in front of you. Inside you will find your instructions Mr Kellesh. If you fail to comply with the instructions then I will personally see that your daughter is visited by more men than a Babylon Hoar before we cut her up. Do you understand Mr Kellesh?” Yuri snarled the instructions into his ear so that passersby had no idea what was being said between the two men. Omar turned to face the Russian in an attempt to plead for his daughter`s safety. The vice like grip on his arm had gone and so had the big Russian. All he could see was hundreds of commuters going about their business.
Omar started to cry as he approached the locker. His hand was shaking and he struggled to insert the key into the lock. A tear ran from the corner of his eye as he thought that it might have been better if Jeannie had died in the explosion. She would be in heaven now not lying somewhere at the mercy of bad men. His stomach twisted and he felt bile rising in his throat as he imagined his beautiful angelic daughter being scared and alone. A father`s natural instinct would be to kill anything that threatened his children. Fear started to turn to pure rage as he opened the locker. Inside was a brown manila envelope, which he tore open with shaking hands. He read the instructions and then screwed the paper up and shoved it into his pocket. He had to get back to the embassy immediately.
Omar Kellesh ran as fast as his weakened legs would carry him toward the car park. Yusuf had driven the Mercedes SUV and parked it in the station multi-storey. Omar crashed into a middle-aged woman as he reached the escalators, knocking her headlong across the tiled station floor. He staggered up and continued down the metal stair without pausing to apologise or even to acknowledge that the collision was his fault. Omar ran from the escalator along a dirty corridor that smelt of urine until he reached a fire door that led into the concrete multi-storey car park. He paused briefly to catch his breath, but he had to get back to his embassy as quick as he could. He spotted the Mercedes and hurtled toward it like a mad man. He was panting for breath and soaked with sweat as he neared the vehicle, but he suddenly stopped at what he saw in front of him. Yusuf was stood waiting by the back of the Mercedes as if he were on a shopping trip. He held the keys in his hand and he smiled when Omar approached. Omar opened his mouth to speak but the combination of exhaustion and shock left him tongue-tied. He placed his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath, staring at his bodyguard all the time.
Had Yusuf betrayed him and left him to the Russians on purpose? Had he gone to the toilet at a crucial time like this? Yusuf was too professional to be so blasé, so what was going on? Omar thought in his jumbled mind.
Yusuf stepped away from the rear of the Mercedes and Omar saw that he was holding his UZI 9mm machinegun beneath his jacket. Yusuf reached toward Omar and guided him gently toward the rear of the vehicle. Omar thought that his time was up; Yusuf was going to assassinate him. Yusuf opened the rear door of the Mercedes and smiled at Omar again. Omar stared into the vehicle and a smile spread across his face, he broke into nervous laughter nodding his head as relief and understanding descended on him. In the back of the vehicle was the big Russian who had called himself Yuri. He had threatened Omar with the gang rape of his daughter. Now he was trussed up like a chicken in the boot of his car, and was gagged with silver duct tape. His nose was bleeding profusely which made Omar happy. The best part though was the look of terror that was in his eyes. That look of sheer unadulterated fear was priceless.