#new The woman who publicly hoped Iran would track down and capture the downed American service member and use him for leverage has been identified.
Melissa Halverson, who works as an administrative assistant at the Green Apple Pantry in Michigan, has been identified as the person behind the video .
The service member was shot down last week, and was rescued on Easter Sunday.
In the video, Halverson appears to be visibly excited. She explains that when a country is at war, “you take them hostage and use them for leverage.”***
She then says that Iran had put a bounty on the American airman’s head, saying whoever finds him gets a reward.
“Hopefully it’s like money or jewels,” she adds with a smile.
She goes on: “I can’t wait. I hope the person who finds him is very poor and ends up being very wealthy. And I hope Iran holds their promise.”
The Green Apple Pantry’s website lists Melissa Halverson as its administrative assistant and provides her official contact email.
The pantry describes her as “a passionate advocate for social change and community service” who supports “equality, fairness, and justice for everyone” and is a mother of five who also runs a farm and Airbnb.
