Last Updated on: 26th October 2022, 10:46 am
Who is Bridget Thackwray? Biography, Wiki
Bridget Thackwray and Topher Richwhite, two New Zealand social media influencers, disappeared after entering Iran in July and were prevented from leaving the country.
Social media influencers Christopher “Topher” Richwhite and Bridget Thackwray embarked on a journey called Expedition Earth, where they set out to travel to 90 countries in a Jeep.
With almost daily vlogs and Instagram posts, the two recorded their travels and documented their border crossing from Turkey to Iran in early July.
Shortly thereafter, they disappeared offline and all social media posts were halted. Expedition Earth’s GPS locator, which previously allowed people to track their live location, is now offline, with a note reading, “The tracker has been temporarily removed for safety reasons for the team in this area.”
Disappeared in Iran
A source familiar with the situation confirmed to The Guardian that Iranian security forces had arrested the couple. During the months of silence, the couple’s online followers, human rights experts, and academics in Iran grew concerned for their well-being and that they could become pawns in a geopolitical environment where security forces have incentives for Iranians to detain foreign tourists in order to this to avoid pressure from foreign governments.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Wednesday morning the government had been working for months to get the couple out of the country and she was “very relieved” that they are now out. “I’m glad they’re safe,” he said.
Ardern said the couple’s arrest had not softened New Zealand’s criticism of the Iranian regime and security forces’ violence against protesters.
“He didn’t. Of course, we share our convictions. At the same time, we also had a duty to ensure that these New Zealanders could leave Iran,” he said.
“We are working very hard to achieve both.”
Released After Negotiation of New Zealand officials
A Foreign Office spokesman said Wednesday morning that two New Zealanders receiving consular assistance are safe and have left the country. They did not comment further for reasons of confidentiality.
Richwhite and Thackwray are minor celebrities in New Zealand. Expedition Earth has amassed more than 300,000 subscribers and several New Zealand newspapers reported on the couple’s wedding earlier this year.
Topher Richwhite is the son of wealthy New Zealander David Richwhite, one of the country’s wealthiest men, an investment banker, and a partner in Fay, Richwhite & Company.
When they crossed the Iranian border in June, Thackwray and Richwhite were first arrested and interrogated by immigration officers for bringing a sanctioned vehicle into the country: they were driving a Jeep Wrangler, which falls under Iran’s retaliatory sanctions against the United States.
In a video titled “Request for an Unexpected Meeting with the Director of Immigration,” they document getting into the back seat of another car and being taken to a meeting.
Bridget Thackwray Net Worth
Bridget Thackwray Net Worth is around 20 Million US Dollars.