In Tripoli, everything is either under never ending construction or in need of repair. Things are made cheaply, with shoddy materials and workmanship, especially buildings and streets. With no hope of a decent wage, there is no incentive to work. In the comrade's Islamic paradise, there is a worker's saying, "They pretend to pay us, we pretend to work." …Luckily for Hatim, there was only one open road leading to the impressive, three-story, courtyard residence. This meant that he only had to watch the one street to see any vehicles exit or enter the safe house, where the two American agents were being held. Hatim had a plan to rescue them. For it to work, he needed physical access to the Americans. He had to know what vehicles they were in.
Hatim had, over several years, painstakingly recruited a support network of thieves, pickpockets and assorted unsavory characters from the ranks of Libya's disgruntled ethnic minorities and underground crime societies. …Hatim had to pull out all the stops this time. He compiled quite an array of thugs, drivers and assassins……..Through binoculars, Hatim saw a procession of three cars came out of the courtyard. They came through the gate and turned onto the road. The lead white car had four sentries; the middle, gray car had a driver and Hussain in the front seat. In the back seat, Nick and Georgina sat next to each other, flanked on each side by a guard. There was no room between them. The third black car had four more guards for rear security. Nick and Georgina had been provided gray colored workmen's jump suits and jackets.
On arrival in the museum area, Hussain motioned his car over to the side of the curb. They all got out and began walking the counter surveillance route.
Nick and Georgina were escorted by a guard who thrust a hidden pistol into their ribs. The black car drove slowly, several yards behind them. The white car sped ahead to make sure the way was clear. …A block and a few turns later, Nick turned to Georgina.
"We were talking about the museum, then we turned left, no, right at the mosque." Georgina nodded and played along. "Didn't we go down that long street next?" "Here." Nick pretended he had found a loosened brick, behind which he claimed to have hidden the list. "Here it is! No wait. It's not the same one. But it looks just like this one."