Overview
- The 65-year-old says he was lured to Tangier in November 2024 for a supposed Saudi-linked interview, then held at knifepoint for about 24 hours.
- Captors took his phone and wallet, demanded a six-figure payment, and detained him in a small apartment after an airport pickup.
- His family used the Find My Friends app to pinpoint his location, contacted an FBI official, and he was released near Tangier-Ibn Battouta Airport before flying via Madrid to the United States.
- The FBI provided security for 28 days after his return, while the UK’s National Crime Agency confirms an active probe into a fake football consortium.
- Heath reported the incident to the League Managers Association, which introduced new verification protocols, and he spoke out after learning another manager was recently kidnapped.