Triangle of Death

About the Book

TOM CARRERA, AN INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL JOURNALIST FROM CALIFORNIA, WORKS WITH ONE OF THE MAJOR NEWS AGENCIES IN LOS ANGELES. IN 1991 HE RECEIVED AN ASSIGNMENT TO COVER THE FIRST GULF WAR IN IRAQ. TEN YEARS LATER HE WAS APPOINTED AGAIN TO GO TO BAGHDAD FOR COVERING THE US OCCUPATION IN THE WAR ACTION IN IRAQ. IN 2004 HE WENT TO FALLUJAH TO COVER THE STORY FROM THE KILLING OF FOUR PRIVATE AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE. FOR THAT HE MET WITH CAPTAIN BROWN, THE HEAD OF THE US FORCE, WHO INVOLVED IN CAPTURING THE TERRORISTS IN THE CITY OF FALLUJAH. AFTER AN ARGUMENT WITH CAPTAIN BROWN HE ASKED HIM TO GO OUT OF THE US BASE IMMEDIATELY. TOM LEFT THE BASE AND END UP ON THE HIGHWAY 60 KM WEST OF BAGHDAD. HE IS TRYING TO REACH HIS DRIVER ZAYAD OVER HIS CELLPHONE IN ORDER TO PICK HIM UP. WHILE HE IS WAITING FOR ZAYAD HE GOT KIDNAPPED FROM ONE OF THE GANGS. THEY TAKE HIM TO AN ISOLATED PLACE WHERE THEY ALREADY HAD ANOTHER ABDUCTION VICTIM, HASNA, AN IRAQIAN ENGLISH SCHOOL TEACHER, WHOSE BROTHER ALI WAS WORKING AS SUBCONTRACTOR WITH IN US FORCE BASE. HEAD OF THE GANG, ASKED TOM FOR 50,000 USD RANSOM IN ORDER TO RELEASE HIM. OTHERWISE THEY WILL KILL HIM IN 24 HOURS. SINCE NON OF THE GANG MEMBERS UNDERSTOOD ENGLISH LET HASNA INTERPRETE THEIR DEMAND. TOM NEGOTIATED THE RANSOM DOWN TO 30,000 UNDER ONE CONDITION. THEY HAD TO RELEASE HASNA WITH HIM. TOM CALLED ZAYAD TO BRING THE MONEY FROM LA AGENCY OFFICE IN BAGHDAD. IN THE MEANTIME HASNA’S FAMILY MEMBERS STARTED LOOKING FOR THE KIDNAPPING LOCATION TO GET HASNA. WHILE THE LA AGENCY OFFICE IN BAGHDAD AND HEADQUARTER IN LOS ANGELES GETS HIGHLY ALERT ABOUT TOM’S KIDNAPPING TOM ASKED ZAYAD NOT TO MAKE ANY FURTHER ACTION FOR HIS SAFETY. IN THE TIME OF DELIVERING THE RANSOM TO THE GANG HASNA’S FAMILY MEMBERS ATTACKING THE KIDNAPPING PLACE. NOBODY WAS THERE, BECAUSE GANG MEMBERS, TOM AND HASNA WERE AT THE MEETING PLACE WITH ZAYAD IN ORDER TO DO THE EXCHANGE. AFTER A VERY CRITICAL SITUATION IN THE TRADING PLACE THE GANG GOT THE MONEY AND FREED ZAYAD AND HASNA. BUT THE GANG PREPARED A NEW PLAN. THIS TIME THEY NEGOTIATED WITH ANOTHER GANG TO ABDUCT ONLY TOM AND SOLD INFORMATION ABOUT TOM’S LOCATION. HASNA ASKED TOM TO GIVE HER A RIDE TO HER HOUSE. HE MET HER FAMILY, MOTHER, FATHER AND BROTHERS. FATHER ASKED TOM TO STAY FOR THE DINNER. WHILE THEY WERE TAKING DINNER, THE OTHER GANG MEMBERS ARRIVED AND STARTED SHOOTING AT THE HOUSE. TOM, ZAYAD AND HASNA COULD ESCAPE FROM THE BATTLE PLACE WITH ALI’S HELP. HASNA SAVES TOM’S LIFE DURING THE ESCAPE WHEN SHE SHOT ONE OF THE GANG MEMBERS, WHO WAS GOING TO SHOOT TOM. THEY ARRIVED AT LA AGENCY OFFICE IN BAGHDAD SAFELY. HASNA’S FAMILY ASKED HER AND HER BROTHER TO DON’T COME BACK HOME BUT LEAVE FOR JORDAN IN ORDER TO SAVE THEIR LIVES. ON THE OTHER SIDE LA HEADQUARTERS ASKED TOM TO FLY BACK TO THE USA IMMEDIATELY. SINCE HASNA SAVED TOM’S LIFE, TOM WANTED TO DO A FAVOR TO THEM. HE ASKED THEM TO GO TO USA WITH HIM. FROM THIS POINT THE STORY GOES TO LOS ANGELES. HASNA GOT A THREE MONTHS VISA AND ALI APPLIED FOR U.S. RESIDENCY, BECAUSE OF HIS PRIOR EMPLOYMENT WITH US FORCE BASE IN BAGHDAD. ALI STARTED HIS NEW JOB AS PLUMBER. ONE DAY IN EAST LA NEIGHBOURHOOD AN LATINO GANG MEMBER TRIED TO STEAL HIS BRAND NEW VAN. WHEN ALI SAW HIM HE TRIED TO PROTECT IT BUT THE GANG MEMBER WHO WAS OVERDOSED WITH DRUGS ATTACKED ALI. ALI TRIED TO AVOID HIM. THE MAN FALL DOWN, HIT HIS HEAD DEADLY ON THE CURB. ALI CALLED 911 IN ORDER TO SAVE HIS LIFE. POLICE ARRESTED HIM FOR MURDER, BECAUSE CARLOS HEAD OF THE LATINO GANG TOLD THE POLICE THAT THEY HAVE SEEN ALI KILLING THEIR MAN. TOM’S FAMILY GET HARRASSED FROM HIS NEIGHBOUR, RICHARD, WHOSE SON WAS KILLED IN IRAQ. TOM AND HIS ATTORNEY, MIKE, ARE TRYING HARD TO GET ALI OUT THE JAIL. BUT BECAUSE OF THE LUCK OF THE EVIDENCE OF THE CRIME AND AFTER STELLA, CARLO’S SISTER, WHO WITNESSED THE CRIME TESTIFIED TO THE JUDGE WITH TOM’S, HASNA’S AND ATTORNEY’S HELP. MEANWHILE RICHARD B

About the Author

Falah Zaki Ramel was borne in Iraq 1952 ,graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts and from College of Cinema , 12 years in the study of theater and cinema decided to go to USA and complete the Education of cinema in California and begin working in film and television for 15 years , then returned to Middle East to follow up the work and completion of Dozens of productions that made me one of the most important filmmakers in Iraq, After 2002 I worked with one of European’s World News stations , where I received the considerable experience in news stories and film documentaries about the war in Iraq, where it has accumulated extensive experience in the development of important topics from the war and the practical experience I had begun to put its lines in several books.