Double Tap Characters

CIA/Orion operative and assassin who poses as a Canadian tourist in Verona and later under legends including Diaco Jaff, Signore Bouchard, and Sipan. He hunts a Pakistani weapons scientist, then works to stop Hezbollah from using chemical weapons. His drive is rooted in the loss of Mary and in Stan Hurley's Orion training.

Arc: Starts by hunting the Pakistani scientist in Verona; after the scientist is snatched and the Rome assassination trap kills Ambassador Al-Hamad, he infiltrates Hezbollah and Ibrahim's convoy. Survives the desert ambush, stops the chemical truck in Kuwait, and agrees to add Rafique Aziz to the Orion list.

• Irene Kennedy — CIA handler and later fiancée/soon-to-be wife
• Stan Hurley — mentor and Orion trainer
• Mary — deceased girlfriend
• Ali — adversary who tries to recruit him
• Abu Hassan — target and Hezbollah commander
• Victoria Lyon — British operational partner
• Azad — Kurdish ally during the Kuwait attack
• Donatella Rahn — fellow assassin and Mossad kidon
• Enzo Romano — CIA asset he finds murdered
• Rob Ridley — CIA surveillance support
• Mariam Al-Hamad — assigned target he tries to warn

Hezbollah commander whose true name is Haider Nasser; he commands Unit 910. He recruits and tests Rapp in Rome, orders the assassination of Kuwait's ambassador, and plans a chemical attack on America and Kuwait.

Arc: From recruiting and testing Rapp to ambushing the Peshmerga convoy and preparing a chemical VBIED. His plot is thwarted when Rapp drives the chemical truck into the ocean; his final fate is not noted.

• Mitch Rapp — target and would-be handler
• Ali — Hezbollah money launderer and associate
• Rafique Aziz — Hamas bomb-maker associate
• Azad — betrayed Peshmerga through a deal

Hezbollah money launderer who runs Standard Imports and first appears as the Mystery Man with a Lebanese accent in Verona. He disarms Rapp, reveals the Pakistani scientist has been smuggled out, and offers Rapp a job and a share in the product.

Arc: From mysterious gunman to identified Hezbollah recruiter and money launderer; his meeting with Rapp sets Rapp on the path to Rome and Iraq.

• Mitch Rapp — recruiter and adversary
• Abu Hassan — Hezbollah commander and associate

Hamas bomb-maker present with Abu Hassan and Hezbollah fighters. He helped the Pakistani scientist integrate chemical weapons.

Arc: Remains at large; Rapp asks Hurley to add him to the Orion list, and Hurley agrees.

• Abu Hassan — Hamas bomb-maker associate
• Mitch Rapp — target Rapp wants hunted
• Stan Hurley — agrees to add him to the Orion list

Hezbollah vetting operative who argues Rapp looks too Middle Eastern, suggests killing him, and tries to stomp Rapp. Rapp takes him down and he goes limp.

Arc: From hostile vetter to subdued; he does not reappear after the fight.

• Arab Gandalf — subordinate to him
• Gordo — fellow Hezbollah vetting operative
• Mitch Rapp — attacks him and is taken down

Hezbollah vetting operative who reaches beneath his robes during the fight. Rapp kicks him, knocks him limp, and confiscates a pistol.

Arc: Subdued during the vetting fight; no further change.

• Youngster — fellow Hezbollah vetting operative
• Arab Gandalf — fellow Hezbollah vetting operative
• Mitch Rapp — kicked and disarmed by Rapp

Hezbollah vetting operative who calls the shots among the three men. He ends the debate by saying Rapp will do, and after the fight leaves with a curse.

Arc: From leading the vetting to accepting Rapp as suitable; no major change.

• Youngster — leads and overrules him
• Gordo — leads and overrules him
• Abu Hassan — Hassan calls him 'my friend'
• Mitch Rapp — vets him and then curses him

Iraqi president reported to be preparing to move part of his chemical weapons stockpile from Iraq to Syria. The text also discusses his past use of chemical weapons and restraint in the Gulf War.

Arc: No direct change; his weapons program drives the intelligence crisis and the raid planning.

CIA officer, Rapp's handler and later fiancée/soon-to-be wife, and a close subordinate of Thomas Stansfield. She leads the fusion cell investigating Iraqi chemical weapons movement to Syria and becomes the agency liaison for the Iraq raid planning.

Arc: From handling Rapp's Verona operation to running the CIA Operations Center, she coordinates with Victoria Lyon and Mossad, tracks Rapp's transmitter signal, and after the convoy turns out to be wrong helps find Rapp and stop the Kuwait attack.

• Mitch Rapp — CIA handler and later fiancée/soon-to-be wife
• Thomas Stansfield — boss and close mentor
• Stan Hurley — like an uncle and longtime colleague
• Victoria Lyon — joint-operation counterpart
• Hannah Edwards — analyst colleague
• Ben Friedman — Mossad counterpart

Veteran CIA/Orion trainer and operative, Rapp's mentor, with more than thirty years in the killing business. He runs training in Doha, survives a Hezbollah assassination attempt, and investigates Sunshine Vacations.

Arc: From training recruits and killing a captured assassin to surviving the travel-agency explosion and helping Rapp continue; later boards the Black Hawk as agency liaison, reports Rapp missing, and meets him in Kuwait. He advises Rapp to reconnect with his life.

• Mitch Rapp — mentee and protégé
• Irene Kennedy — adopted niece and CIA colleague
• Brad Steele — surveillance subordinate
• Brian Smith (Moe) — Orion trainee
• Pete Evans (Curly) — Orion trainee
• Victoria Lyon — former romantic involvement
• Scott Coleman — agency liaison on Coleman's Black Hawk

Director of the CIA and Irene Kennedy's boss and close mentor. He manages the Israeli relationship, approves the fusion cell, and plans the Iraq operation.

Arc: Pushes for action on Iraqi chemical weapons, protects the BUCKEYE asset's identity, and supports CIA lead on the raid. No major personal change; he remains strategic and protective of sources.

• Irene Kennedy — subordinate and close mentor relationship
• Mitch Rapp — CIA asset
• Ben Friedman — Mossad counterpart
• David Rothenberger — Mossad counterpart
• Director Simmonds — old friend and MI6 director
• Meg — long-serving assistant

Mossad officer/director of operations who reports to Rothenberger and later to Prime Minister Uri Sharon. He briefs on the failed Verona operation, negotiates with Irene, and argues Israel must strike Iraqi chemical weapons.

Arc: From trying to salvage the Verona operation to outplaying Rothenberger and being tasked by Sharon to assist with intelligence for an IDF strike; he receives Esther's call about the missing convoy.

• David Rothenberger — superior at Mossad
• Eliana Levy — subordinate
• Irene Kennedy — Mossad counterpart and negotiating rival
• Uri Sharon — prime minister he advises
• Shira — Mossad delegation deputy
• Tal — Mossad delegation analyst
• Amnon — Mossad delegation member
• Esther — American caller who asks for his asset's help

Mossad director who is politically cautious and tries to shift blame to Friedman. He approves approaching, interrogating, and if needed killing the Verona newcomer, but later is castigated by Prime Minister Sharon.

Arc: Questions the Verona operation, approves Friedman's recommendation, orders him to Washington, and later warns Friedman after being outplayed. He remains focused on political protection.

• Ben Friedman — subordinate he tries to blame
• Thomas Stansfield — American intelligence counterpart
• Uri Sharon — prime minister he reports to

British Secret Service officer who becomes Rapp's operational partner in Istanbul and supplies his legend and Kurdish assets. She later coordinates with Irene and offers to get the convoy asset assigned.

Arc: From vetting Rapp in the Grand Bazaar to becoming a key liaison with Irene and using Kurdish Peshmerga reporting; she tests Irene's honesty before sharing sensitive intelligence.

• Mitch Rapp — operational partner and handler
• Stan Hurley — former romantic involvement
• Irene Kennedy — joint-operation counterpart
• Bahoz — Peshmerga asset

Mossad kidon and Armani model who survives an attempted kidnapping by three armed men. She recruited Enzo Romano as an asset and shares information with Rapp after he saves her.

Arc: From being followed by Rapp to fighting off attackers, interrogating him, revealing her Mossad role, and inviting him to look her up. She becomes a possible romantic counterpart.

• Mitch Rapp — fellow assassin and possible romantic interest
• Enzo Romano — asset she recruited
• Stan Hurley — he identifies her billboard

SEAL Team 6 commander at Oasis One who runs the assault force for the convoy raid. He questions Elvis's critique, then commands the Black Hawk assault.

Arc: From planning to executing the raid, he proceeds despite the missing asset, lands the Black Hawk, and stays on the radios during the assault rather than joining his men.

• Elvis — Delta liaison and trusted advisor
• Stan Hurley — agency liaison on his Black Hawk

Kurdish driver and worker for Ibrahim who hates Americans because he believes the U.S. abandoned his father's uprising and his father died by gas under Hussein. He becomes Rapp's ally after the desert ambush.

Arc: From anti-American convoy driver to wounded ally who gives Rapp a Glock and phone, helps him stop the Hezbollah zealots, and dies driving the van alongside the terrorist truck.

• Ibrahim — employer
• Rizgar — fellow Kurd and friend
• Mitch Rapp — convoy companion and ally
• Bahoz — Peshmerga commander

Smuggler who runs truck convoys between Iraq and Syria and makes deals with the DGS and the information broker Tareq. He hires Rapp as Sipan and sends his son to contact Tareq.

Arc: From paying bribes and selling information to being forced into the DGS chemical-weapons convoy; he changes the order of march and survives the ambush, though his later fate is not detailed.

• Azad — driver
• Rizgar — driver
• Tareq — information buyer and friend
• Omar — border guard with a bribery arrangement
• Mitch Rapp — hired him as Sipan

Israeli F-16 Barak pilot who leads Lion flight in Operation Double Tap. He is motivated by his wife and daughter and believes the mission is vital to keep chemical weapons from the Damascus regime.

Arc: Preflights, receives the code word 'ra'ad,' locates the convoy, and begins his attack run; after Grover's abort order, he steers the laser spot into open desert to move the bombs away from the convoy.

• Grover — best friend and wingman
• Dani — daughter

Mossad katsa and field officer who leads the Verona surveillance operation and reports to Ben Friedman. Her Syrian asset is missing and her operative Mark is injured.

Arc: From a failed Verona operation to proposing that the Italian asset's original handler be sent; she remains committed to salvaging the mission with the one remaining card.

• Mark — second-in-command and teammate
• Ben Friedman — superior

Kuwait's first female ambassador who attends a sold-out Rome interview event despite a specific threat. She is apparently killed in the explosion at the hotel entrance.

Arc: From refusing to cancel the event to being hustled out by security and killed in the explosion; her death is a key consequence of the Hezbollah plot.

• Yousef — aide and bodyguard/handler
• Khaled — chief of security
• Marina Bellucci — moderator of her event
• Giorgio Moretti — introduced Mario Gallo to her
• Mario Gallo — wanted a private word with her
• Mitch Rapp — assigned assassin who tries to warn her

CIA analyst who spots the Iraqi convoy anomaly and joins Irene's fusion cell. She works in the Operations Center and detects Rapp's transmitter signal.

Arc: From bringing the anomaly to Irene to helping coordinate the operation and staying with Irene after the failed search; she shares Irene's sense of failure over not locating Rapp.

• Irene Kennedy — colleague and superior
• Tal — Mossad counterpart

SISDE officer and CIA asset who provided the Pakistani scientist's Veronese itinerary. He is found murdered in his flat.

Arc: Dead before the main action; his murder signals a leak and deepens Rapp's suspicion. No personal change.

• Mitch Rapp — CIA asset Rapp finds murdered
• Donatella Rahn — asset she recruited

Head of the CIA advance surveillance team in Verona who supports Rapp but clashes with him over freelancing. He warns Rapp to leave Verona before his conduct burns the team.

Arc: From assisting Rapp's surveillance to objecting to his risk-taking, then relaying Irene's new tasking. He remains risk-averse and indoctrinated into CIA caution.

• Mitch Rapp — tense colleague and surveillance support
• Irene Kennedy — tasked by her to assist Rapp
• Enzo Romano — surveilled his flat

Israeli F-15 pilot, Yossi's best friend, and section leader who provides radar targeting and threat warnings. He elects to visually identify unknown fast movers rather than fire.

Arc: From supporting the strike to ordering Lion flight to abort after the fast movers appear; he keeps the strike package safe.

• Yossi Cohen — best friend and wingman

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs who challenges Stansfield's plan and cites the lives of the SEALs and aircrews. He objects to not knowing the BUCKEYE asset's operational history.

Arc: From objecting to the plan to accepting a CIA liaison if the SEAL CO approves. No major personal change.

• Thomas Stansfield — CIA director whose plan he challenges

Israeli prime minister who confronts Rothenberger over the Pakistani chemical-weapons expert and Iraq's planned transfer. He rejects concerns about international outrage.

Arc: From angry confrontation to tasking Ben Friedman with assisting intelligence for an IDF strike; he tells Friedman to get to work.

• Ben Friedman — tasks him with intelligence for an IDF strike
• David Rothenberger — Mossad director he castigates

American woman calling herself Esther who calls Ben Friedman and says Israeli aircraft almost attacked her commandos. She suggests a decoy or second convoy and asks Friedman to use his Syrian asset to help find it.

Arc: Only appears through the call; she seeks Friedman's help to find the missing convoy and chemical weapons. No personal change noted.

• Ben Friedman — American counterpart she calls for help

Mossad operative and former Sayeret Matkal member who serves as Eliana Levy's second-in-command. He is ambushed in the catacombs and suffers a concussion and fractured skull.

Arc: From surveillance to injured in the Verona operation; he is no longer able to continue the mission.

• Eliana Levy — teammate and subordinate
• Mitch Rapp — ambushed by Rapp in the catacombs

CIA surveillance team leader in Doha who works with Stan Hurley. He reports on Moe and coordinates support for the training exercise.

Arc: From supporting the training mission to reacting to Hurley's entry into the travel agency. No major change.

• Stan Hurley — surveillance subordinate and radio contact
• Brian Smith (Moe) — reports on his approach

Orion team trainee in the Doha exercise who approaches the boat from the west. He receives the bug-out signal with Curly.

Arc: A trainee in the exercise; no major change beyond participating in the training.

• Stan Hurley — Orion team trainee
• Pete Evans (Curly) — fellow trainee

Orion team trainee in the Doha exercise. He receives the bug-out signal with Moe.

Arc: A trainee in the exercise; no major change beyond participating in the training.

• Stan Hurley — Orion team trainee
• Brian Smith (Moe) — fellow trainee

Kurdish driver and worker for Ibrahim, and a friend of Azad. He greets Rapp as Sipan at Ibrahim's warehouse.

Arc: From welcoming Sipan to being killed in the desert ambush; Azad says his head exploded.

• Ibrahim — employer
• Azad — friend
• Mitch Rapp — convoy member

The usual border guard at the Al Waleed crossing who had a mutually beneficial bribery arrangement with Ibrahim. He is replaced by the new DGS sentry's payment demand.

Arc: From usual guard to being absent or bypassed; later he waves Ibrahim's convoy through and says he was guarding the crossing as always.

• Ibrahim — bribery arrangement at the border

A person who waits apprehensively at the Waleed Border Crossing as traffic passes from Iraq into Syria.

Arc: Only appears waiting at the crossing; no further change noted.

Mariam Al-Hamad's aide who warns her of a specific threat and hopes she will listen to her security chief. He intercepts Mario Gallo before he can speak with Mariam.

Arc: From warning Mariam to protecting her at the event; no major change.

• Mariam Al-Hamad — aide and bodyguard/handler
• Mario Gallo — intercepts his handshake and request

Mariam Al-Hamad's chief of security who waits anxiously in the lobby and hopes to speak with her about security before the event.

Arc: No major change; he remains concerned with protecting Mariam.

• Mariam Al-Hamad — chief of security

Italian celebrity, former television news anchor, writer, director, and activist. She offers to moderate Mariam's event, turning it into a sold-out celebrity affair.

Arc: No major change; she moderates the event.

• Mariam Al-Hamad — moderator of her Rome event

Italian minister who asks to steal Mariam for a word and introduces Mario Gallo, who wants a private word with her.

Arc: No major change; he facilitates the introduction.

• Mariam Al-Hamad — asks to speak with her
• Mario Gallo — introduces him to Mariam

Businessman who hopes to get a private word with Mariam after her talk. Yousef intercepts him before he can speak with her.

Arc: No major change; he is intercepted by Yousef.

• Giorgio Moretti — introduced by him to Mariam
• Mariam Al-Hamad — wanted a private word with her
• Yousef — intercepted by him

Syrian contact and friend of Ibrahim who buys information from him. He appears at Ibrahim's table, listens, asks questions, pays him, and leaves his pastry uneaten.

Arc: No major change; he continues to gather information from Ibrahim.

• Ibrahim — information source and business contact

MI6 director and old friend of Thomas Stansfield. He agrees to provide a backstopped legend in Iraq only after negotiating for Orion program targets and intelligence.

Arc: From negotiating with Stansfield to providing help and warning him to be careful what he wishes for. No major personal change.

• Thomas Stansfield — old friend and intelligence counterpart

Thomas Stansfield's long-serving assistant who announces Director Simmonds's call and closes the door after being told not to disturb him.

Arc: No major change; she continues her duties as Stansfield's assistant.

• Thomas Stansfield — assistant

The president's chief of staff who asks what operation Stansfield referenced and later questions why the president will attend the Kuwait celebration. She has strong political instincts but is out of her league on defense matters.

Arc: No major change; she surfaces points others avoid.

Mitch Rapp's deceased girlfriend and high school sweetheart who died when terrorists brought down her plane over Lockerbie. Her death ended his first experience of young love and led him to study radical Islam.

Arc: Deceased before the story; her memory drives Rapp's choices and his need to fight terrorism.

• Mitch Rapp — deceased girlfriend and high school sweetheart

Swiss woman Rapp loved and lost to violence. After parting with her, Rapp concluded that an assassin's life is incompatible with normalcy.

Arc: Deceased or lost before the story; she remains a past relationship that shapes Rapp's view of normal life.

• Mitch Rapp — past relationship

Peshmerga commander and asset who vouched for Rapp's Sipan cover. He is mentioned in Azad's background and connected to Victoria Lyon's Kurdish network.

Arc: No direct appearance or change; he enables Rapp's infiltration.

• Azad — Peshmerga commander
• Mitch Rapp — vouched for his Sipan cover
• Victoria Lyon — Peshmerga asset

Young girl who enters the catacomb chamber with her parents and introduces herself to Rapp. She asks Rapp his name and if his friend is okay, and notes her mother is the chief ER resident.

Arc: Brief appearance in the catacombs; no further change noted.

• Mitch Rapp — meets him in the catacombs

Mossad delegate from Aman, the IDF's military intelligence directorate. He forcefully argues with Shira during the Israeli delegation's internal dispute and finally says 'The weapons.'

Arc: From internal dissent to recognizing the dry-run deduction; no major change beyond the meeting.

• Ben Friedman — Mossad delegation leader
• Shira — disagrees with her
• Tal — fellow Israeli delegate

Mossad deputy to Ben Friedman who sits on the Mossad side of the table. She disagrees with Amnon and challenges Irene's imagery, saying it makes no sense that Iraqis would protect empty trucks.

Arc: From skepticism to remaining part of the delegation; no major personal change.

• Ben Friedman — deputy
• Amnon — disagrees with him

Mossad analyst who sits on the Mossad side of the table. She notes the trucks are empty, asks whether the wrong images were provided, and acknowledges Hannah Edwards as a counterpart.

Arc: No major change; she participates in the intelligence meeting.

• Ben Friedman — Mossad delegation member
• Hannah Edwards — recognizes her as an American counterpart

Member of Irene Kennedy's intelligence fusion cell who had just returned from an assignment in the Middle East.

Arc: No major change; he participates in the fusion cell meeting.

• Irene Kennedy — fusion cell member

JSOC representative on Irene Kennedy's side of the joint meeting with Mossad.

Arc: No major change; he participates in the meeting.

• Irene Kennedy — fusion cell member

Ben Friedman's assistant who announces the call from Esther, pauses as if debating whether to say more, gives him a wan smile, and leaves.

Arc: No major change; she continues as Friedman's assistant.

• Ben Friedman — assistant