| Roya Hammad | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name: | Roya Hammad |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Date of birth: | 1975 |
| Nationality: |  Palestinian
|
| Affiliation: | Abu Nazir |
| Profession: | Reporter |
| Sibling(s): | Five siblings |
| Played by: | Zuleikha Robinson |
| Season(s): | 2 |
| First episode: | "The Smile" |
| Last episode: | "In Memoriam" |
Roya Hammad is a television news reporter who secretly works for al-Qaeda, acting as an intermediary between Abu Nazir and Brody.
About her[]
Roya Hammad is a journalist who is sympathetic towards Abu Nazir. She is eventually arrested, along with her cell, when Brody gives the CIA information regarding their planned attack on a soldiers' homecoming event.
Background[]
Roya Hammad is a journalist who originally comes from Palestine. One day she shows up at MP Nick Brody's office and introduces herself as a supporter of Abu Nazir. Since then she has worked as an intermediary between Brody and Abu Nazir.
When Roya visits Brody for the first time, she asks him to steal data about potential targets from the safe belonging to David Estes, the head of the CIA in Washington. She also makes it clear to Brody that he has to choose a side and that this is not terrorism, but just retaliation for the US drone attack in which Abu Nazir's son Issa, among others, was killed. While Brody implements the plan and steals the data, Roya distracts David Estes. After Brody saves Abu Nazir's life shortly afterwards with the help of a text message, Roya tells him how grateful Nazir is to him for this and makes it clear to Brody once again that he plays an important role for Abu Nazir.
On the day of the fundraising gala hosted by Cynthia Walden and Jessica Brody, which Brody is also supposed to attend, he receives a short-term order from Roya to get the tailor to safety in Gettysburg before the CIA finds him. As Brody is having problems with his wife as a result, it becomes increasingly difficult for Roya to stop him from giving up everything. When Brody also has to worry about Carrie Mathison, a CIA employee, Roya asks him to build a friendship with Carrie so that they can get information from the CIA through Carrie.
A short time later, Roya is seen talking to an unknown man from the CIA, but she has no idea about this, nor about the fact that Brody is now working as a double agent for the CIA. However, when some terrorists and several CIA employees meet in Gettysburg, Roya's colleagues initially have the upper hand.
When Brody is actually no longer willing to continue supporting Abu Nazir, Roya is unable to change his mind. However, she receives a call shortly afterwards from Brody, who apologizes for his behavior. Roya then takes him to Abu Nazir himself. Brody is given the task of inviting Roya to an event where several hundred war veterans are being welcomed back to America so that she can plant a bomb there. While Roya is loading the bomb into her car with the help of her cameramen on the day of the event, they are caught and arrested by the CIA.
Roya then spends some time as a prisoner in Langley. Carrie is the first to question her and tries to get information out of her. Roya initially shows understanding, only to then internalize with Carrie that she has no idea what Americans have already done to her family. She also shows herself to be very loyal to Abu Nazir and mentions, among other things, that he would never run away from anyone. This clue leads to the FBI, with the help of Carrie, finally finding and killing Abu Nazir.
In season 3, in Carrie's notes she is marked as 'dead', therefore it is possible she got the death penalty.
Biography[]
Roya was born in the West Bank, Palestine to a wealthy businessman. She was sent to boarding school in England. After graduating from school, she took a gap year, traveling in the Middle East (following activities in Lau and building a school in Tanzania).
In the Gaza Strip, she stayed with hospitable family. There, she witnessed the repression of the Arabs through the western-backed sanctions. She became disillusioned with western society and government cover-ups, as influenced by a Hamas lieutenant. She undertook her tertiary study at Oxford University.
Her family had ties with Abu Nazir, a notorious commander of al-Qaeda, that date back to his expulsion from Palestine. She became radicalized when her loved ones perished in an American drone strike.
Educated at Marlborough College in England, she acts as a go-between for Sergeant-turned-Congressman Nick Brody and terrorist Abu Nazir.
A terrorist undercover as a reporter, she would give Congressman Nicholas Brody, at that time a Nazir sympathizer, assignments and instructions. Her ultimate mission was to transport terrorists disguised as a news crew to an event with Vice President William Walden and American soldiers returning home from duty in the middle east.
However, the attack was prevented because Brody had already at that time betrayed Nazir and turned Roya over to the CIA. She refused to cooperate in Carrie Mathison's interrogation, and instead broke down in rage at her audacity to feign empathy. However, she did inadvertently give her a hint that lead to Nazir's capture. She was last seen detained in a CIA interrogation room with a medical doctor, apparently being medicated because of her psychosis from earlier.
Her thwarted attack was not in vain. It allowed, just as Nazir planned, for the CIA to let its guard down, resulting in the horrific Langley Bombing. Roya was instrumental in Nazir's Langley Bombing on 12/12 /2012 which killed 219 people.
Roya was thus an unwitting pawn in a scheme beyond her knowing.
Quotes[]
- "I've never been that stupid you idiot whore".
Behind the Scenes[]
Appearances[]
| Season 2 | ||||
| The Smile | Beirut is Back | State of Independence | New Car Smell | "Q&A" |
| A Gettysburg Address | The Clearing | I'll Fly Away | Two Hats | "Broken Hearts" |
| In Memoriam | "The Choice" | |||