(RightIsRight.co) – The family of two Americans freed by Hamas has said Shaun King, a Black Lives Matter activist, lied about his involvement in their release.
Natalie Raanan, 17, and her mother, Judith Tai Raanan, 59, were released by Hamas after being held for almost two weeks. They were captured after a violent attack by the group on Israel on Oct. 7.
When they were released, Shaun King, 44, suggested he had a role in their safe return.
On Instagram, he said, “Hamas has just freed the teenager Natalie Raanan and her mother. I’m grateful. As I said last week, Natalie and her family have been supporters of mine and protested police violence in America alongside us.” He also mentioned, “Dozens of us worked frantically behind the scenes to help make this possible. I spoke to Natalie’s family this afternoon and they are anxiously awaiting more updates.”
Yet, the Raanan family stated that King lied about his role. In a statement provided to TMZ, they said, “First and foremost, we make it clear that he is lying! Our family does not and did not have anything to do with him, neither directly nor indirectly. Not to him and not to anything he claims to represent.”
Natalie’s father, Uri Raanan, did say that her brother Ben had spoken to King before her release. But he said the rest of the family was unaware.
He told the Daily Beast, “Ben, my son was talking with him without anybody in the family knowing about it until today. Our family in Israel posted this statement denying we knew him, before we learned about Ben talking to him. We have nothing further to say.”
In response to these claims, King said he had been in contact with the family since Oct. 9. He argued that he wouldn’t lie about such a serious matter, stating, “At the advice of my attorneys, I kept every text, DM, screenshot, and, according to state law, recorded all of my phone conversations.
