"Mr. Evil": Shaher Abdulhak and Epstein's Gulf Lobbying Pipeline
Executive Summary
Across 57 documents spanning 2012-2019, Jeffrey Epstein and his inner circle used the nickname "Mr. Evil" for Shaher Abdulhak (1938-2020), the Yemeni billionaire known as the "Sugar King." The identification is established by Epstein's own words in an April 18, 2018 iMessage to Steve Bannon: "Terje = all that is good. Shaher + all that is evil."
The corpus reveals that Epstein was brokering meetings between Abdulhak and Bannon to lobby on the Yemen War Powers Act — legislation that would have ended U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen. Epstein also pitched Abdulhak to Secretary of State Pompeo's team as someone who could flip Yemeni factions from their Iranian sponsors. This lobbying operated through private iMessages, Skype, and Paris meetings at the Plaza Athénée, with no public disclosure.
Separately, Epstein had previously connected Abdulhak to Lord Ken Macdonald, the UK's former Director of Public Prosecutions, for £20,000 in legal advice regarding Abdulhak's fugitive son Farouk — wanted for the 2008 rape and murder of Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen in London.
While Abdulhak's name appears in recent media coverage of the Epstein files, no outlet has connected him to the "Mr. Evil" codename or reported the War Powers lobbying pipeline through Bannon.
Part 1: The Identification
Proof 1: "Shaher + All That Is Evil"
On April 18, 2018, in an iMessage exchange with Steve Bannon about upcoming meetings, Epstein wrote:
Reminder. Terje. = all that is good. Shaher + all that is evil
Bannon replied: "I've got that part"
— EFTA01615037, page 4, 6:26:26 PM
"Terje" is Terje Roed-Larsen, the Norwegian diplomat and Oslo Accords architect. "Shaher" is Shaher Abdulhak.
Proof 2: The Wikipedia Link
Six days earlier, on March 12, 2018, Bannon asked Epstein the identity of someone he had just met:
Steve Bannon: What was the guys name yesterday
>
Epstein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaher_Abdulhak
— EFTA01614978, page 4
Over the following weeks, Epstein used both "Shaher" and "Mr. Evil" interchangeably for the same person in the same conversation thread.
Proof 3: Same Topic, Consecutive Days
On April 18, 2018, Epstein messaged Bannon:
Mr evil would like to hire a firm to lobby on behlalf of war powers act
— EFTA01615037, page 3, 2:26:45 PM
The next day, April 19, 2018:
Shaher asking again re war powers. .
— EFTA01615037, page 5, 10:41:52 AM
Same person, same topic, same conversation thread, consecutive days.
Proof 4: The Apartment
In a June 2016 email chain (subject: "Pinto"), staff wrote to Epstein about "your old furniture stored in mr Evils apt." Epstein replied: "yes to shaher no to rothschild."
— EFTA02461197
Separately, Epstein had emailed Abdulhak directly in April 2016: "i am redecoratig my paris apt., i will give you furniture if you like, my gift. i can put it in your apt."
Proof 5: Parallel Document Copies
The same April 2016 email chain about apartment logistics exists in multiple copies across datasets. In one version, staff wrote "May I contact directly MR Shaher to ask?" In another copy of the same email, a different message reads "Spoke to mr evil — he was going to call his driver today."
— EFTA00702821 / EFTA00828620
Part 2: Who Was Shaher Abdulhak?
Shaher Abdulhak (1938-2020) was a Yemeni billionaire who founded Shaher Trading in 1963. He controlled oil concessions in Sudan, owned approximately 50% of Sudan's mobile telecommunications, and was the largest wholesaler in Yemen for rice, sugar, tea, and vegetable oil — earning the moniker "Sugar King."
Sultan bin Sulayem, the chairman of DP World, described him to Epstein:
Shaher is the richest Yemeni he owns oil concessions in Sudan as well as 50% of the mobile co in Sudan he is also the largest wholesaler in Yemen for rice sugar tea veg oil. And yes he is a strange man
— EFTA01986978
Epstein had asked Sultan about Abdulhak after a first meeting: "I met with boreh and Abdul shaher from yemen. (little strange)"
Abdulhak was a personal friend of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and was famously media-shy — he gave no interviews and no photographs of him appeared in local press. He maintained residences in London, Paris, Cairo, and Texas, and his email address in the corpus is [email protected]. He addressed Epstein as "cousin brother" in their correspondence.
The Martine Vik Magnussen Case
Abdulhak's son Farouk Abdulhak is the sole suspect in the March 2008 rape and murder of 23-year-old Norwegian business student Martine Vik Magnussen in London. Magnussen's body was found in a basement on Great Portland Street. Farouk had been seen leaving a nightclub with her hours before. Flight records show he left London for Cairo on March 14, 2008 — the same day — and was transported to Yemen aboard his father's private jet.
In a text message, Farouk Abdulhak described what happened as "just a sex accident gone wrong," claiming he "could barely piece together what happened" due to cocaine use. Yemen has no extradition treaty with the UK, and Farouk has remained a fugitive for 18 years under the protection of his family.
In June 2012, Epstein connected Shaher Abdulhak to Lord Ken Macdonald (Baron Macdonald of River Glaven), the UK's former Director of Public Prosecutions. Lord Macdonald was paid £20,000, traveled to Paris to meet the elder Abdulhak, and subsequently flew to Yemen to attempt persuading Farouk to return to the UK. This arrangement was reported by The Guardian and Yahoo News in February 2026 based on the released files, though neither outlet connected it to the "Mr. Evil" codename.
Part 3: The War Powers Lobbying Pipeline
Context: The Yemen War
On March 20, 2018, the U.S. Senate voted 55-44 to table S.J.Res.54, the Yemen War Powers Resolution that would have ended U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen. The resolution was sponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders and Mike Lee under the War Powers Act of 1973.
Shaher Abdulhak had direct stakes in the outcome. His friend Ali Abdullah Saleh had been killed by Houthi forces on December 4, 2017, just three months before. As Yemen's wealthiest private citizen with interests spanning the country, any policy affecting the Saudi-led intervention touched his business empire and political alliances.
The Lobbying Request
Less than a month after the Senate vote, on April 18, 2018, Epstein messaged Bannon:
Mr evil would like to hire a firm to lobby on behlalf of war powers act
Bannon's immediate response: "Not what I do" — then, seconds later: "can u connect me"
Epstein replied: "Call me."
— EFTA01615037, pages 3-4
Hours later, Epstein sent the "Terje = all that is good. Shaher + all that is evil" characterization.
The next day, April 19, the follow-up: "Shaher asking again re war powers."
That evening, Epstein made the offer more explicit:
Do you want to give mr evil the name of a person to push the war power agenda? Or I can connect you two by email keeping in mind I will/can not vouch for or trust anything he says
— EFTA01615037, page 6, 9:08:57 PM
Epstein was simultaneously warning Bannon about Abdulhak and brokering the introduction.
Escalation: "Someone on Pompeo's Team"
The lobbying efforts continued for over a year. On May 15, 2019, the State Department ordered the evacuation of non-emergency U.S. personnel from Iraq amid escalating tensions with Iran. Secretary Pompeo had made a surprise visit to Baghdad on May 7 citing "specific threats" from Iranian activity.
That evening, in the same iMessage thread where he sent Bannon the New York Times article about the Iraq evacuation, Epstein discussed the Yemen situation:
let up on mexico and china. typical. - qatar worried re iran. . yemen at the heart of the trouble.
>
libya in hiding with haftar. .
Bannon responded: "Qatar worried that their sponsor about to implode"
Epstein corrected: "not sponsor. partner" — and then: "houthi sponsor is iran."
Later that night, at 11:30 PM, Epstein made his pitch:
Removing Iraq diplomats. Great move. Would dems prefer. Benghazi 2.0
>
Someone on pompeo team should sit with mr evil.
>
They will do a 180 on their sponsor in a heartbeat
— EFTA01616087, page 5
Epstein was suggesting that if Pompeo's State Department engaged with Abdulhak, Yemeni factions aligned with Abdulhak's network could be persuaded to abandon their Iranian backing.
The War Powers Resolution's Fate
The Yemen War Powers Resolution passed the Senate 56-41 on December 12, 2018, following outrage over the Khashoggi killing. The House passed its version on February 13, 2019. Trump vetoed the resolution on April 16, 2019.
Whether Abdulhak's lobbying efforts — brokered through Epstein and Bannon — had any influence on the veto or surrounding policy decisions is unknown. What the documents establish is the pipeline: a Yemeni billionaire using a convicted sex offender as an intermediary to reach the former White House Chief Strategist and, through him, the Secretary of State's team, on active U.S. foreign policy regarding a war that killed over 150,000 people.
Part 4: The Bannon Pipeline
Epstein served as a connector between Abdulhak and multiple power brokers. The Bannon relationship is the most documented.
The Introduction (March 2018)
On March 11, 2018, Bannon visited Epstein at his New York residence. The next day, he asked for the name of someone he had met there — Epstein sent the Shaher Abdulhak Wikipedia link.
— EFTA01614978, page 4
Within days, Bannon had internalized the "Mr. Evil" nickname. On March 14, when Epstein discussed Mongolia's potential as a summit site ("the boy" — Kim Jong Un), Bannon asked: "Mr Evil??" Epstein corrected: "no kim Jung."
— EFTA01614980, page 1
On April 26, 2018, Epstein laid out Bannon's meeting options:
Jabor is HBJ chief, mr evil, waiting on a date from you, sultan easiest. I do not need to be in the loops.
— EFTA01615053, page 0
Three Gulf power brokers, offered as a menu: Jabor Al Thani (intermediary for former Qatar PM Hamad bin Jassim), Shaher Abdulhak ("Mr. Evil"), and Sultan bin Sulayem (chairman of DP World). Epstein positioned himself as the broker who didn't need to attend.
The Film Proposal
On December 29, 2018, Bannon described a documentary he was producing. Epstein asked:
Outline for film? I assumer Mr evil and the Saudi murderer. Are not talent
Bannon replied: "They are total talent" and "We film everybody."
— EFTA01615537, page 5
"The Saudi murderer" — referenced in the aftermath of the Khashoggi killing on October 2, 2018 — appears to refer to Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Epstein listed Abdulhak and MBS as potential documentary subjects alongside each other.
"Love Me Some Mr. Evil"
By spring 2019, Bannon's affection for Abdulhak was open:
Epstein: Mr evil sends his regards
>
Bannon: Love me some mr evil
— EFTA01615796, page 5, April 27, 2019
Part 5: The Terje Rod-Larsen Connection
Terje Roed-Larsen, the Norwegian diplomat who helped negotiate the Oslo Accords and served as president of the International Peace Institute, was the other pole of Epstein's Gulf network — the "good" to Abdulhak's "evil."
On April 5, 2018, Epstein messaged Roed-Larsen about a planned Vienna meeting on April 14-15:
Can you be in Vienna 14 and 15 April? Salem, Anas, Antonio and his finance guy and architect with drawings and plans will be there. Maybe we could do many thing there. Should we ask Mr Evil and company to come? Salem is a key guy in that context.
— EFTA01614416, page 4
On April 15, Roed-Larsen asked: "Is Mr Evil coming?" Epstein replied: "Don think so, have not heard though he was invited."
— EFTA01614423, page 1
On August 28, 2018, Epstein offered: "mr evil willing to meet you in europe, I don't need to be ther."
— EFTA01615283, page 5
And on December 12, 2018, planning a Paris gathering for December 20:
Mr evil. Ehud hbj etc
— EFTA01615501, page 5
The proposed Paris attendees: Shaher Abdulhak, Ehud Barak (former Israeli PM), and Hamad bin Jassim (former Qatar PM). These meetings — brokered by Epstein and Roed-Larsen — brought together Israeli, Qatari, and Yemeni power brokers in private settings.
Part 6: The Paris Network
Abdulhak maintained a Paris apartment where Epstein stored furniture and held regular meetings. The Paris relationship is documented across multiple platforms:
October 7, 2013 — A staff member emailed Epstein a list titled "Paris previous meetings":
mr evil, Eduardo, Sultan, caroline lang, Maria ("the lawyer") Marina, raphaelle
— EFTA01952761
January 19, 2014 — Epstein emailed instructions:
"add to paris list, jabor, mr evil, jean luc"
— EFTA01940750
April 27, 2019 — Via Skype to Paris staff:
"im meeting mr evil at plaza athenee at 630"
— EFTA01619940, page 1
May 20, 2019 — Via Skype:
"schedule today mr evil 5 at plaza"
— EFTA01620090, page 0
June 22, 2019 — Via Skype, two weeks before Epstein's arrest:
mr evil asked karyna whr ws the blonde girl from the other day? and then asked kayrna for her phone number!! oy
Staff responded: "Just ssy he's always disrespectful to everyone." Epstein explained: "He thought she was a prosttiue [prostitute]." Staff: "Omg. This is crazy."
— EFTA01620096, pages 1-3
October 16, 2012 — Karyna Shuliak, Epstein's girlfriend, texted:
"I start to worry about you, is Mr. Evil torturing you?:)"
— EFTA01893777
Part 7: Who Knew the Nickname
The "Mr. Evil" moniker was not a private joke between Epstein and Bannon. At least six people used or understood it:
| Person | Relationship | Example |
| -------- | ------------- | --------- |
| Jeffrey Epstein | Primary user | All 57 documents |
| Steve Bannon | Epstein contact | "Love me some mr evil" (EFTA01615796) |
| Terje Roed-Larsen | Diplomat | "Is Mr Evil coming?" (EFTA01614423) |
| Karyna Shuliak | Epstein's girlfriend | "is Mr. Evil torturing you?" (EFTA01893777) |
| Paris-based staff | Scheduling assistant (Skype) | Scheduled meetings with "mr evil" (EFTA01620090) |
| Redacted female associate | Paris social contact | "people like mr evil stealing my shoe size!!" (EFTA00646833) |
The nickname was widespread enough to function as an operational codename — understood across Epstein's personal, diplomatic, and logistical networks.
Part 8: Process of Elimination
One person, not multiple. Every "Mr. Evil" reference across all 57 documents, all datasets (DS9, DS10, DS11), all platforms (email, iMessage, Skype, Apple Notes), and all time periods (2012-2019) refers to the same individual.
The following people are excluded because they appear separately in the same lists as "Mr. Evil":
| Jabor Al Thani | "Jabor is HBJ chief, mr evil, waiting on a date" (EFTA01615053) |
| Sultan bin Sulayem | Same list; also describes Shaher to Epstein as "a strange man" |
| Hamad bin Jassim (HBJ) | Listed separately multiple times |
| Terje Roed-Larsen | Explicitly contrasted: "Terje = all that is good" |
| Jean-Luc Brunel | "add to paris list, jabor, mr evil, jean luc" (EFTA01940750) |
| Kim Jong Un | Bannon asked "Mr Evil??" — Epstein corrected: "no kim Jung" |
| MBS (Mohammed bin Salman) | "Mr evil and the Saudi murderer" — listed as two separate people |
Part 9: Timeline
| May 20, 2012 | Epstein meets Abdulhak for the first time. Tells Sultan bin Sulayem: "I met with boreh and Abdul shaher from yemen. (little strange)" | EFTA01986978 |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Paris associate references "mr evil" while shopping at Galeries Lafayette | EFTA00646833 |
| Jun 2012 | Epstein connects Abdulhak to Lord Macdonald (former DPP) re: fugitive son Farouk. Lord Macdonald paid £20,000, flew to Paris and Yemen | Yahoo News |
| Oct 16, 2012 | Karyna Shuliak: "is Mr. Evil torturing you?" | EFTA01893777 |
| ~2013 | Epstein's Apple Notes to-do list: "mr evil" between "mongolia" and "nathan, keith alexander" | EFTA00642466 |
| Oct 7, 2013 | "Paris previous meetings" list includes "mr evil" alongside Sultan, Eduardo, others | EFTA01952761 |
| Jan 19, 2014 | "add to paris list, jabor, mr evil, jean luc" | EFTA01940750 |
| Apr 2016 | Epstein gives Abdulhak furniture for his Paris apartment. Email chains use both "MR Shaher" and "mr evil" in parallel copies | EFTA00702821 / EFTA02461197 |
| Dec 4, 2017 | Ali Abdullah Saleh, Abdulhak's friend and protector, killed by Houthi forces | Wikipedia |
| Mar 11-12, 2018 | Bannon meets Abdulhak at Epstein's home. Next day asks: "What was the guys name yesterday" — Epstein sends Wikipedia link | EFTA01614978, p4 |
| Mar 20, 2018 | Senate votes 55-44 to table Yemen War Powers Resolution (S.J.Res.54) | CNN |
| Apr 5, 2018 | Epstein to Terje re Vienna: "Should we ask Mr Evil and company to come?" | EFTA01614416, p4 |
| Apr 18, 2018 | "Mr evil would like to hire a firm to lobby on behlalf of war powers act" | EFTA01615037, p3 |
| Apr 18, 2018 | "Terje = all that is good. Shaher + all that is evil" | EFTA01615037, p4 |
| Apr 19, 2018 | "Shaher asking again re war powers" | EFTA01615037, p5 |
| Apr 19, 2018 | "Do you want to give mr evil the name of a person to push the war power agenda?" | EFTA01615037, p6 |
| Apr 26, 2018 | "Jabor is HBJ chief, mr evil, waiting on a date from you, sultan easiest" | EFTA01615053, p0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | "mr evil willing to meet you in europe" | EFTA01615283, p5 |
| Oct 2, 2018 | Jamal Khashoggi killed in Saudi consulate, Istanbul | Wikipedia |
| Oct 31, 2018 | Epstein texts Abdulhak directly about Yemen ceasefire: "Houti should appoint you" and "Pompeo said ceasefire in 30 days :)" | EFTA00508648 |
| Dec 12, 2018 | Senate passes Yemen War Powers Resolution 56-41 | NPR |
| Dec 12, 2018 | Paris meeting planned: "Mr evil. Ehud hbj etc" | EFTA01615501, p5 |
| Dec 29, 2018 | Documentary discussion: "Mr evil and the Saudi murderer. Are not talent" / "They are total talent" | EFTA01615537, p5 |
| Apr 27, 2019 | "Mr evil sends his regards" / "Love me some mr evil" | EFTA01615796, p5 |
| Apr 27, 2019 | "im meeting mr evil at plaza athenee at 630" (Paris) | EFTA01619940, p1 |
| May 7, 2019 | Pompeo surprise visit to Baghdad re Iran threats | Fortune |
| May 15, 2019 | State Dept orders Iraq embassy evacuation. Epstein: "Someone on pompeo team should sit with mr evil. They will do a 180 on their sponsor in a heartbeat" | EFTA01616087, p5 |
| May 20, 2019 | "schedule today mr evil 5 at plaza" (Paris) | EFTA01620090, p0 |
| Jun 22, 2019 | "mr evil asked karyna whr ws the blonde girl from the other day?" | EFTA01620096, p1 |
| Jul 6, 2019 | Jeffrey Epstein arrested |
Part 10: What the Documents Do Not Establish
The corpus establishes that Epstein brokered meetings and lobbying introductions between Abdulhak and Bannon regarding the Yemen War Powers Act. It does not establish:
- Whether any lobbying firm was actually hired
- Whether anyone on Pompeo's team actually met with Abdulhak
- Whether any policy decisions were influenced by these efforts
- The specific policy outcome Abdulhak sought (the texts do not clarify whether he wanted to support or oppose the War Powers Resolution)
- Whether Abdulhak paid Epstein for these introductions
The documents also show a social relationship (furniture gifts, Paris dinners, Karyna Shuliak's familiarity with the nickname) that predated and extended beyond the geopolitical lobbying.
Document Summary Table
| EFTA | Dataset | Pages | Description |
| ------ | --------- | ------- | ------------- |
| EFTA01615037 | 10 | 7 | Bannon iMessage: War Powers lobbying, "Shaher + all that is evil" identification, "mr evil the name of a person to push the war power agenda" |
| EFTA01614978 | 10 | — | Bannon iMessage: Wikipedia link to Shaher Abdulhak |
| EFTA01615053 | 10 | 6 | Bannon iMessage: "Jabor is HBJ chief, mr evil" Gulf contact list |
| EFTA01616087 | 10 | 6 | Bannon iMessage: "Someone on pompeo team should sit with mr evil" |
| EFTA01615537 | 10 | 7 | Bannon iMessage: "Mr evil and the Saudi murderer" documentary |
| EFTA01614416 | 10 | 7 | Terje iMessage: Vienna meeting, "Should we ask Mr Evil and company to come?" |
| EFTA01615283 | 10 | 6 | iMessage: "mr evil willing to meet you in europe" |
| EFTA01615501 | 10 | 7 | iMessage: "Mr evil. Ehud hbj etc" Paris meeting |
| EFTA01619940 | 10 | 6 | Skype: Meeting at Plaza Athénée, April 27, 2019 |
| EFTA01620090 | 10 | 6 | Skype: "schedule today mr evil 5 at plaza," May 20, 2019 |
| EFTA01620096 | 10 | 6 | Skype: "mr evil asked karyna" about blonde girl, June 22, 2019 |
| EFTA01940750 | 10 | 1 | Email: "add to paris list, jabor, mr evil, jean luc" |
| EFTA01986978 | 10 | 1 | Sultan bin Sulayem describes Shaher as "the richest Yemeni... a strange man" |
| EFTA01952761 | 10 | 1 | "Paris previous meetings" list including "mr evil" |
| EFTA00702821 | 9 | 2 | Email chain: "Spoke to mr evil" apartment logistics |
| EFTA00828620 | 9 | 2 | Parallel copy: same email chain, same apartment |
| EFTA02461197 | 11 | 1 | "furniture stored in mr Evils apt" / "yes to shaher" |
| EFTA00646833 | 9 | 1 | "people like mr evil stealing my shoe size!!" Paris shopping |
| EFTA00508648 | 9 | 18 | Direct Shaher-Epstein iMessages: Yemen ceasefire discussion |
Note: An additional ~30 EFTAs contain duplicate copies of the above communications across datasets DS9, DS10, and DS11. The unique communications total approximately 20 distinct messages spanning June 2012 to June 2019.
External Sources
| Farouk Abdulhak remains fugitive in Yemen | Murder Map |
| Senate tables Yemen War Powers Resolution, Mar 20 2018 (55-44) | CNN |
| Senate passes Yemen War Powers Resolution, Dec 12 2018 (56-41) | NPR |
| House passes Yemen War Powers Resolution, Feb 13 2019 | Common Dreams |
| U.S. orders Iraq embassy evacuation, May 15 2019 | Defense Post |
| Pompeo surprise Baghdad visit, May 7 2019 | Fortune |
| Ali Abdullah Saleh killed by Houthi forces, Dec 4 2017 | Wikipedia |
This report was generated through computational analysis of the DOJ's EFTA production using Claude Code. Every quoted passage was verified against the source document in the full_text_corpus database. The "Mr. Evil" identification was derived entirely from corpus evidence — specifically Epstein's own equation of "Shaher + all that is evil" and the interchangeable use of both names for the same person in the same conversation threads.
This analysis relies on Claude Code running Opus 4.6, which can make mistakes.