The Tuareg Brothers (so named in this wiki) are a trio of international abductors who appeared in the Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders Season One episode, "Citizens of the World."
Background[]
The brothers were part of a tribe of Tuareg people, a type of Berber people with a traditionally nomadic pastoralist lifestyle. At some point in their lives, their mother contracted cancer, so the middle brother Ben went to medical school to learn about her affliction. He eventually graduated and returned to the tribe to help with their mother. As their mother's medical bills began to rise and they couldn't afford to pay them any further, the brothers began targeting and abducting tourist couples who were traveling abroad, holding them captive for ransom.
Citizens of the World[]
After claiming the lives of three couples from 2012 to 2014, the brothers targeted another couple, Peter and Kate Carson, in 2015. They abducted them after a merchant and con artist unknowingly lures them into the brothers' car. While the International Response Team are informed of the case, Ben calls them, and Garrett answers. Ben tells them that the family wasn't supposed to call anyone, but Garrett tells him that the cruise line did. After Ben introduces himself, Garrett asks to speak to the Carsons to make sure they're okay. Ben refuses to let Garrett do so and tells him that he has 72 hours to get the money or the Carsons will die. Afterwards, Ben tells his older brother Amajagh that the FBI called them, not the police. Meanwhile, the youngest brother Cadi appears to give the Carsons water. His age surprises the Carsons, who beg him to let them go and promise him that they will pay him as much as they have, but Cadi tells them to be quiet and leaves. Later, Ben tells his brothers that they are running out of time and contacts Garrett again, telling him that things have changed and they have 24 hours to pay or he will kill the Carsons.
Later, Amajagh tells Ben that they are running out of time and they need the money. Ben tells him that they can't rush them or they won't pay, but Amajagh replies that they will. He then criticizes Ben's decision to go to medical school, believing the education made him weak. Meanwhile, Cadi checks on Peter's hand and realizes that it is rough; he replies that he builds houses for a living. Surprised by the information, Cadi tells Ben that the Carsons are workers just like them, but Ben tells him they are not like them. Cadi begs him to stop Amajagh, warning that he is spiraling out of control. When Amajagh appears and slaps Cadi in the face out of frustration, Peter calls Amajagh a coward. Amajagh snaps and beats Peter to near-death, then gives Cadi a gun and orders him to take Peter out to the desert and kill him. Cadi tells him that they don't kill, but Amajagh tells him that the other couples were killed, something that Cadi was unaware of. While Cadi drags Peter out of the warehouse, Ben takes their gun from his back pocket, puts it on the table, and helps Cadi. Cadi ultimately doesn't kill Peter and instead releases him at a hospital.
Cadi returns to the warehouse while Amajagh is checking on their mother and gives him the gun. Ben comes into the room as well and tells his brothers that the Carsons' extended relatives paid the ransom, and Amajagh replies that they have to end this. Later, Amajagh drags Kate to the corner to kill her, but Cadi begs him not to as she is a gentle woman. Amajagh tells him that Kate is like the other people who wouldn't help when their mother got sick. Then, the IRT breach the warehouse, having identified the brothers as the unsubs. Ben contacts Garrett and threatens to kill Kate. After warning Ben about the police presence, Garrett goes into the warehouse unarmed and tries to convince the brothers to release Kate and surrender, promising that he will take their mother to the hospital for care. Ben tells him that it is too late for her, though Amajagh vehemently denies that. Cadi begs Amajagh to let Kate go, but he slaps him. When Garrett tells Ben that he is the peacemaker and he is the only one that can save his family, Amajagh tells Ben not to listen to him. He then tries to kill Kate, but Garrett grabs the brothers' gun, still lying on the table. He shoots Amajagh and kills him, and the police raid the warehouse afterwards. Ben is arrested for his actions, but Cadi is exonerated, as he was a minor at the time of the crimes.
Modus Operandi[]
The brothers targeted tourist couples traveling abroad on cruises and visiting the countries that their tribe was also in to sell merchandise at the time. They would abduct the couples at cruise ports, blindfold and bind them by their arms and legs, put them in a vehicle, and abduct them. They would hold their victims captive in the same locations that their tribe's merchandise was being kept. They would then send photos of the victims to their relatives via email as proof of life, call the relatives to make ransom demands (the calls being routed through a darknet voice-over IP relay), and demand that the ransom be paid in Bitcoin. After receiving the money from the relatives, Amajagh would kill the victims by shooting them once in the head with a Makarov PM pistol and dump their bodies four kilometers from their abduction sites. The husbands were always killed first, one day after the abduction, followed by the wives another three days later. With each set of abductions, the amount of money they demanded would increase due to their mother's medical bills.
Profile[]
The unsubs are a technologically advanced group that is desperate for money. It includes at least one educated, cold, and rational member; and another that is unbalanced, has anger management issues, and is responsible for all of the killings. The fact that they have stayed together for five years shows that they are tight-knit and loyal to each other; they could be biologically related. However, they are now devolving quickly and are no longer acting in concert, heralding a power struggle within the group. Their wide mobility is best explained by their pertinence to a North African, nomadic merchant population.
Members[]
- Leader: Amajagh (deceased). Portrayed by Fouad Hajji.
- Lieutenant: Ben (incarcerated). Portrayed by Rachid Sabitri.
- Follower: Cadi (exonerated). Portrayed by Marwan Salama.
Known Victims[]
- August 31, 2012, unspecified location in Tunisia (date of abduction): Josh and Lindsay Trembles (extorted their families out of $50,000 for their release):
- Josh Trembles (killed the next day by Amajagh)
- Lindsay Trembles (killed four days later by Amajagh)
- April 10, 2013, unspecified location in Algeria (date of abduction): Alex and Holly Scott (extorted their families out of $75,000 for their release):
- Alex Scott (killed the next day by Amajagh)
- Holly Scott (killed four days later by Amajagh)
- June 25, 2014, unspecified location in Libya (date of abduction): Ezra and Allison Baumann (extorted their families out of $200,000 for their release):
- Ezra Baumann (killed the next day by Amajagh)
- Allison Baumann (killed four days later by Amajagh)
- 2015, Casablanca, Morocco:
- October 13 (date of abduction): Peter and Kate Carson (extorted their daughter out of $400,000 for their release):
- Peter Carson (held captive and non-fatally beaten by Amajagh; was released the next day by Cadi)
- Kate Carson (held captive; Amajagh later attempted to kill her; was rescued the next day)
- October 14: Jack Garrett (briefly held at gunpoint by Amajagh)
- October 13 (date of abduction): Peter and Kate Carson (extorted their daughter out of $400,000 for their release):