Nearly 20 years after the mysterious disappearance of former FBI agent Robert Levinson in Iran, the FBI is intensifying its efforts to gather information as Levinson’s family and colleagues persist in their quest for answers in one of the longest-standing American hostage cases.
FBI Director Kash Patel recently acknowledged the anniversary of Levinson’s vanishing, coinciding with Hostage and Wrongful Detainees Day, and reaffirmed the organization’s resolve to uncover the truth about his fate.
“Even after nearly two decades, Bob remains at the forefront of our thoughts,” Patel stated in a social media message. The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $5 million for any information that could lead to Levinson’s recovery or return, complemented by an additional reward from the State Department.
Levinson, who previously served as both an FBI agent and a Drug Enforcement Administration investigator, vanished on March 9, 2007, during a visit to Kish Island in the Persian Gulf. As the longest-held American hostage, his family waged a prolonged battle for his release, attributing his capture and detainment to the Iranian government.
The FBI released an image in April 2011, four years subsequent to Levinson’s disappearance, which was purportedly of him. In 2020, U.S. authorities announced their belief that Levinson likely died while in Iranian custody, although his remains have not been found.
In 2020, U.S. officials said they believed Levinson likely died in Iranian custody, though his remains have never been recovered.
For former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker, who worked alongside Levinson years earlier, the case remains personal.
“I met Bobby Levinson when I was transferred to Miami in 1987,” Swecker told Fox News Digital. “He was kind of the iconic agent on the squad because he was prolific in developing cooperating cartel members and informants.”
Swecker said Levinson had built a reputation within the bureau for his ability to cultivate sources inside criminal organizations.
“He was a craftsman, a journeyman-level agent who knew what he was doing and was good at what he was doing,” Swecker said.
Levinson previously worked for the DEA before joining the FBI. Colleagues remembered him as a seasoned field investigator who preferred working cases rather than moving into management roles.
Swecker described the 6-foot-3 agent as both serious about his work and deeply devoted to his family.
Levinson was 58 when he traveled to Kish Island, Iran, in 2007 working as a private investigator. He reportedly was taking part in an unauthorized CIA mission.
Upon his arrival, Levinson was said to have met with an American fugitive – Dawud Salahuddin – targeted by the CIA for recruitment, a source close to the Levinson case told Fox News in 2016.
Salahuddin was wanted by the CIA for allegedly murdering an Iranian diplomat in Maryland in 1980, and Levinson hoped the mission to deliver him to the agency would secure him full-time employment with the CIA, the source told Fox News at the time.
Shortly afterward, Levinson disappeared, but Iran repeatedly denied capturing him or knowing of his whereabouts.
“I eventually read that he had been hired on contract with the agency,” he said. “Just such a risk to go to the island of Kish with his background.”
Robert Levinson is shown in this undated photo provided by Christine Levinson. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Christine Levinson)
Iran has long denied responsibility for Levinson’s disappearance, though U.S. officials say evidence shows Iranian authorities detained him.
The U.S. Treasury Department in 2020 sanctioned two Iranian intelligence officials accused of involvement in Levinson’s disappearance and cover-up.
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