Shaun King Takes Credit For Freeing American Hostages, Black Twitter Calls Cap

Shaun King maintained he had a role in securing the release of 17-year-old Natalie Raanan and her 59-year-old mother, Judith Raanan, both Americans captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israelis.

According to the Daily Beast, King and the Ranaan clan disagree on what exactly he did regarding securing their freedom. The family, for their part, is outright calling him a liar in a statement obtained by TMZ, “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, later clarified to the Daily Beast that King spoke to the teen’s brother, Ben, but the family was unaware of those conversations.

“We reached out to many people far and wide to bring Natalie and Judith to safety. We are not affiliated with Mr. King,” Uri said. “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.”

King denied the allegations, posting to his account on Twitter/X a statement from Ben Rannan followed by other “receipts.” Later, the controversial activist emailed the Daily Beast, “I spoke directly and repeatedly with this family. I have a job, career, and family. I would be throwing everything away to make such a thing up,” King wrote. “Thankfully, I kept records of all of them.”

Shaun King is still at it. He says everyone is lying. Does this include the actual family members who directly contradict his “receipts”? pic.twitter.com/vp3e4ac4P2

— Not ANOTHER Black, disabled woman lawyer (@4WheelWorkOut) October 21, 2023

i love knowing whatever horrific thing you’re going through, shaun king could be just around the corner claiming to be your cousin https://t.co/CZq9qa8r3d

— i can be your long lost pal (@PallaviGunalan) October 21, 2023

I don't know how many Black women have to tell you Shaun King is a scammer but if you need me to, I will just clone one person in a video telling you Shaun King is a lying scammer. https://t.co/PKpothrftz

— Cipher of the Golden Spatula (@snarkylicious) October 21, 2023

To his credit Shaun King consistently brings the timeline together to call out his scamming ways. A true organizer! https://t.co/pC6RQrj18w

— Franchesca Ramsey (@chescaleigh) October 21, 2023

On Oct. 21, King claimed on the X app that he was “lobbying nonstop for [Natalie’s] release behind the scenes with an eclectic group of 30+ people that would normally never work together or get along,” as well as saying that the family was being pressured to distance themselves from him by Israelis.

X users have responded to King’s assertion that he’s negotiating with officials about demands for those in need during the conflict. They continue to accuse him of grifting yet another case.

None of the parties who were officially responsible for the release of mother and daughter have acknowledged King’s role, if any, throughout the ordeal. The government of Qatar, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Israeli government were responsible, per a statement provided by a member of the latter to the Daily Beast, who said the Red Cross functioned as a “neutral party” during the process.