Disappearance of Robert Levinson
Robert Alan "Bob" Levinson (March 10, 1948 – presumed death before March 25, 2020) was an American former Drug Enforcement Administration (1970–1976) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (1976–1998) agent who disappeared on March 9, 2007, in Kish Island, Iran, while on a mission for the Central Intelligence Agency (1998–2007). Levinson's family received a $2.5 million annuity from the CIA in order to stop a lawsuit revealing details of his work in Iran and to forestall any revelation of details regarding the arrangement between Levinson and the agency.
Robert Levinson | |
|---|---|
Levinson while in captivity, November 2010 | |
| Born | Robert Alan Levinson March 10, 1948 Flushing, New York, U.S. |
| Disappeared | March 9, 2007 (aged 58) Kish Island, Iran |
| Status | Missing for 17 years, 1 month and 9 days; declared dead in absentia on March 25, 2020 (aged 72) |
| Occupation | Federal agent |
| Known for | Disappearance in Iran |
| Perpetrators | Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (alleged by the U.S., denied by Iran) |
| Accused |
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| Contact | Official website |
He is believed to have been held captive by the Government of Iran, while Iran does not acknowledge his arrest. According to his family, he suffered from type 1 diabetes, gout, and hypertension. His passport has never shown up in any other country.
On March 25, 2020, Levinson's family announced his presumed death on the advisement of the U.S. government, and although the date is unknown, it is assumed that he died while in Iranian custody. On December 14, 2020, two employees of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in connection with the kidnapping.