Nevertheless, he probed and published, and some of his reports were aired by top European channels.
Viktor Woud was arrested in 2008 in Thailand and extradited to the U. S. on November 16, 2010, where he was indicted. Finally, on November 2, 2011, a jury unanimously found him guilty of illegal arms dealing.
All these events were well covered by Trevor from the start of the investigation in 2007, although due to another trip to a collapsing Libya, he could only follow the trial of Woud online and through the reports of his colleagues.
His track record included reports from Baghdad during the Iraq War, Gaza Strip during the Gaza War and the Libyan cities of Benghazi and Misrata, which were nearly leveled by NATO airstrikes.
That is why Trevor was considered to be one of the most experienced journalists, the lead expert on Africa and the Middle East.
Working in the most unstable countries, Trevor needed trustworthy and reliable friends and partners.
Kate, a twenty-eight-year old journalist from Australia, was one person Trevor fully trusted. Kate was a graceful and sweet blonde with short tousled hair, a cheerful smile full of even white teeth, beautiful, full lips, as if painted by a master artist, and big green eyes. Despite appearing delicate, she always wore a light uniform and a felt hat.
Kate was one of those women who, despite approaching the age of forty, remained cute and cheery, like a teenager in appearance and behavior.
They met in early 2007 in Afghanistan.
A few days earlier, Trevor was captured by the Taliban in Musa Qala, Helmand Province. The abduction had been planned, even though he was on his way to meet one of their leaders for a special story.
There was a young blonde woman and two men, tired by the heat and hunger, already in the house where the bound prisoners were brought. Trevor gathered from the conversations he overheard that they were all journalists and that they had been held there by the militants for over a month.
A local driver and an Afghani reporter were captured together with Trevor. The next day, to intimidate others, two Afghanis were publicly executed in front of the prisoners. The Taliban were planning to demand a ransom for him and the other journalists.
For three days Trevor was brutally beaten in an attempt to break his will, but on the fourth day Mullah Saddam, a prominent Taliban field commander, arrived at the camp.
Musa Qala, Helmand, Afghanistan. 22 February 2007 15:35
“Well, well, well. The big infidel is on his knees before the little Afghani mujahedeen?” Mullah taunted in bad English as he approached Trevor, who was lying helplessly, tied up in the dust.
“I am not a soldier; I am a journalist. And I am French,” replied Trevor, despite the agony of the ropes.
“Press?” The militant said with unconcealed malice, grabbing Trevor by the shoulder with one hand and striking his face loudly with the other. “I not ask you, dog, who you are.”
He took Trevor’s plastic ID card in his hands and inspected it with a satisfied smirk.
“Press is good. We need press, very need.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Nothing from you. What can you? You are weak and sick. You can’t anything. Your master can! He pay me. Pay a lot.”
“Nobody will pay you a dime for me. I'm not important,” Trevor said quietly. He spat blood.
“Pay, pay a lot. You make video tomorrow. You ask him to pay,” hissed the Mullah, pressing his foot against Trevor’s face. “If not pay, you go home to Paris in pieces, we send to your office.”
