Robert Alan “Bob” Levinson (born March 10, 1948) is an American private investigator and retired DEA and FBI agent. He was taken hostage on March 9, 2007 when visiting Iran's Kish Island while supposedly researching a cigarette smuggling case, and is currently the longest held hostage in American history. U.S. officials believe Levinson, kidnapped exactly two weeks before the 2007 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel, "was arrested by Iranian intelligence officials to be interrogated and used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Washington". On December 12, 2013 the Associated Press reported that an investigation they led revealed that Levinson was working for the CIA. The US has stated that he was not an employee of the government at the time of his capture.