From The New Yorker · Ben Taub · · 2m
My Education on the Border of the Syrian War
A journalist meets a Syrian hacker who claims to save lives with robots but is accused of scamming women online.
In brief
A journalist meets a Syrian hacker who claims to save lives with robots but is accused of scamming women online. A journalist in Kilis, Turkey, meets Ahmed Harvester, a Syrian hacker who builds rescue robots but has been accused of scamming women online. Originally reported by The New Yorker.
Meeting Ahmed Harvester
I met Ahmed Harvester, a Syrian hacker who claims to build robot rescue teams for sniper victims.
“I’ve got my pirate software at the ready”
Ahmed’s Background
Ahmed was a software engineer who fled Syria after being detained twice by Assad’s forces.
“I had been detained by Assad’s security forces twice, first for trying to buy a music album that had 'Freedom' in the title”
The Hotel Istanbul
The Hotel Istanbul in Kilis, Turkey, cost five euros a night before the war and almost fifteen now.
“Before the war, a room at the hotel had cost the equivalent of five euros a night”
Ahmed’s Robot Project
Ahmed designed a robot to rescue people from sniper attacks using titanium arms and reggae music to calm victims.
“The claws, he explained, would grab the injured person and shove him into a cavity below”
Ahmed’s Scam Allegations
Ahmed was accused of scamming women online by claiming he needed money to escape Syrian conscription.
“He told me that he saved that little boy’s life that day”
The Abduction of Steven Sotloff
An American freelancer named Steven Sotloff was kidnapped by ISIS after meeting a compromised fixer.
“He had gone to meet Youssef as planned. Within ten minutes of crossing, they had been kidnapped by ISIS”
The Aftermath
I discovered my Facebook messages to Sotloff were read by ISIS after he was abducted.
“I realized my recent Facebook messages to Sotloff had been sent after his abduction”
The Wedding
Ahmed married a French woman named Isabelle, who had met him online in a pro-revolution Facebook group.
“Ahmed wore a white suit with a bright-red tie; Isabelle wore a red-and-white dress embroidered with flowers”
The Children’s Concerns
Ahmed’s children believed their mother was in Syria with him after he claimed to have crossed the border.
“She won’t tell us when they cross, and Ahmed said they had big plans for tonight”
The Suicide Attacks
Bilal, a Nusra fighter, described how his cousins were involved in suicide attacks during Ramadan.
“He had to organize a lottery of names for suicide attacks”
The Bombing
A regime jet bombed a truck carrying explosives, killing Bilal’s cousin who was on the suicide mission.
“The air strike detonated the explosives in the truck, producing the boom that we heard from Kilis”
The Abductions
ISIS abducted Western journalists and aid workers, including an American freelancer named Steven Sotloff.
“ISIS had abducted Western journalists and aid workers”
The Scam Allegations
Ahmed was accused of scamming women online by claiming he needed money to escape Syrian conscription.
“He told me that he saved that little boy’s life that day”
The Wedding Party
Ahmed and Isabelle held a wedding party in Kilis with a mix of refugees and fighters.
“I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world!”
The Children’s Reaction
Ahmed’s children were worried about their mother’s safety after he claimed to have crossed into Syria.
“She won’t tell us when they cross, and Ahmed said they had big plans for tonight”
The Aftermath
I discovered my Facebook messages to Sotloff were read by ISIS after he was abducted.
“I realized my recent Facebook messages to Sotloff had been sent after his abduction”
At a glance
A journalist in Kilis, Turkey, meets Ahmed Harvester, a Syrian hacker who builds rescue robots but has been accused of scamming women online.
