Ira Gaines

Ira Gaines was hired by the Drazens during Day 1 to kidnap Kim Bauer and her mother Teri in order to blackmail Jack Bauer.

Mercenary/criminal activities

 * Alleged assassin, Jacques Chabon, Chief Investment Banker, Une Banque des Marseilles, 2001
 * Alleged mastermind, San Diego Commuter Bank robbery, 2001
 * Alleged assassin, Judge Carlos Novena, Cartagena, Colombia, 2000
 * Suspected shooter, Old Town Massacre, Cartagena, Colombia, 1999
 * Sniper, Civil War in Zimbabwe, 1997-98

Experience

 * Hostage Rescue Consultant, Cartagena, Colombia, 1998-99
 * Security Consultant, International Business Telecom, Mexico City, 1996

Education

 * Master of Science, Chemical Engineering/Ballistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
 * United States Navy Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEAL (BUD/S)

Gaines was hired by Andre Drazen to organize the assassination of Senator David Palmer and frame Jack Bauer for the murder.

Before Day 1
Ira Gaines was born forty-three years before Day 1. He served in the United States Navy on the SEAL Team from 1991 until he was dishonorably discharged in 1995 and began working as a mercenary. He participated in missions in the Persian Gulf (1991), Mexico (1993) and as a team leader during covert operations in Colombia (1994).

Day 1
Gaines had hired Dan Mounts and Rick Allen to abduct Kim Bauer after midnight on Day 1 and bring her to the compound, located in a forested area of the North Valley.

An assassin named Jonathan Matijevich underwent plastic surgery to look like the photographer Martin Belkin in order to gain access to David Palmer's breakfast rally. In order to get Jonathan into the breakfast, Mandy was paid $1 million to obtain Belkin's press ID and bring it to the compound. Mandy, however, left the ID in the possession of her partner Bridgit, who demanded an additional $1 million before she'd reveal its location.

After retrieving Belkin's ID and bringing Kim Bauer to the compound, Gaines contacted Jack at St. Mark's Hospital and ordered him into a bugged car in the parking garage. From there, he told Jack to go back to CTU and switch out a high-profile keycard with a similar-looking one encoded with false information. However, Nina Myers caught onto the keycard scheme. Gaines was unaware that Nina was a second mole working for the Drazens, and ordered Jack to kill her. Jack only pretended to kill her, as she was wearing a bulletproof flak jacket. It was Nina’s survival that eventually led to the capture and death of Jamey Farrell, Gaines' mole.

Gaines then instructed Jack to go to the Santa Clarita Power Plant, where he was to be framed for Palmer's murder. Jack was able to stop the assassination by grabbing at a Secret Service agent’s pistol, causing a riot that got Palmer off the stage. Cut off from contact with Jack, Gaines immediately suspected him of causing the riot, and ordered Eli Stram and Neill Choi to kill Teri and Kim. However, he changed his mind when Jamey called to tell him that the riot had been caused by Division agents sent to arrest Jack (a lie under duress from Nina and Tony Almeida). Teri and Kim were spared and returned to their holding room.



Gaines had no idea that Jamey was being held under custody, or that she had later died. He could not get into contact with either Jack or Jonathan the sniper, the latter of whom presumably fled as far from the plot as possible. Gaines was soon joined at his Placerita Canyon Road compound by Andre Drazen, who ordered him to evacuate and allow the Drazens’ Plan B to start. Gaines reluctantly agreed, and again ordered Eli to kill the women.

After Andre left, Gaines started packing up the equipment. Unknown to him, Jack had ambushed Kevin Carroll and arrived at the compound to rescue his family. Also unknown to Gaines, Rick Allen had betrayed him and was helping the Bauers escape. Also unbeknownst to Gaines, Teri had managed to kill Eli. Gaines stopped the escape and chased Rick and the Bauers into the forest. Rick was shot in the arm, but managed to escape, both from Gaines and from government custody.

Jack managed to wound Gaines and corner him in a grove, where he offered Gaines protection from his clients in return for cooperating with CTU. However, afraid that the Drazens would eventually get to him and kill him as punishment for failure, Gaines defiantly aimed his gun at Jack, who then killed him with a bullet to the heart.