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Terrified CEOs turn to extreme secret security tactics after Brian Thompson murder amid copycat fears

Terrified CEOs turn to extreme secret security tactics after Brian Thompson murder amid copycat fears

In the wake of the shocking murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, the high-level security business has been booming.

The December shooting shook the United States, showing that ultra-rich executives are not immune to violence on the streets and raising fears about copycat killings.

Healthcare industry heavyweights, executives and politicians across the country, from New York to California, are scrambling to protect their homes with robotic infrared cameras, bulletproof glass and secret doors to safe rooms.

Jon and Eva Michelle Harris own Fortified estatea Texas-based firm that retrofits properties with an interior “armor” designed to complement the existing aesthetic of any home, from a glass-walled Florida mansion to a Victorian-style estate in the Hamptons.

The security power couple said they have seen an increase in client inquiries of about 50 percent since Luigi Mangione allegedly shot and killed Thompson on December 4.

“There has been an increase in calls (from potential clients) since the CEO shooting,” Eva told DailyMail.com this week.

“Usually when we see an increase, it’s because there have been robberies in a neighborhood, but sometimes there’s a correlation between what’s happening in the news.”

“We definitely have more direct clients, as well as designers incorporating safe spaces into their plans,” Jon added.

Terrified CEOs turn to extreme secret security tactics after Brian Thompson murder amid copycat fears

In the wake of the shocking murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, the high-level security business has been booming. The owners of Fortified Estates, which provides real estate “armor” to the ultra-rich, said they have seen a 50 percent increase in calls

Pictured: Fortified Estate employees demonstrate the impenetrability of a door hardware

Pictured: Fortified Estate employees demonstrate the impenetrability of a door hardware

Jon Harris, co-owner of Fortified Estate

Eva Michelle Harris, co-owner of Fortified Estate

Jon and Eva Michelle Harris (both pictured above) are owners of Fortified Estate, a Texas-based company that modernizes properties with an interior “armor” designed to complement the existing aesthetic of any home, from a Florida mansion with glass walls to a Victorian-style Hamptons. estate

On average, Fortified Estate works on about 30 projects a month, ranging from $9,000 bulletproof door hardware to modernizing a multimillion-dollar mansion.

Secure doors are its most popular feature and the latest rush of customers has also requested hidden exits, Eva said.

Fortified Estate creates accessories that complement existing aesthetics

Fortified Estate creates accessories that complement existing aesthetics

“It looks like a closet, but it’s actually a door that leads to another room,” he explained.

“An intruder wouldn’t know there was another room, but as someone who lives in the house itself, you don’t want to feel like you’re living in a bank vault or a prison.”

Fortified specializes in subtlety, with security features designed to integrate into a variety of interiors. “We agree with the aesthetics that already exist,” said Eva. “It’s very personalized.”

The company, founded by Jon in 2018, also saw a sharp increase in demand during and after seismic events, including the 2021 storming of the Capitol, the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, and the US presidential election of this year.

Last year’s Hamas raid caused the largest increase, with about 10 times the usual amount of business arriving. This came primarily from synagogues and members of the Jewish community who felt threatened by the rise of anti-Semitism across the United States.

Fortified typically caters to the residences of CEOs and political figures, along with embassy entrances, major Fortune Global 500 companies, state courthouses and police stations, and even Department of Homeland Security agency buildings.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death at point-blank range on December 4.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death at point-blank range on December 4.

The company integrates safe or panic rooms into many of the homes: a secret space designed to integrate with a bedroom or closet, with access to a designated security specialist available by phone or text message.

Many clients also choose to install robotic infrared cameras in their second homes, allowing them to keep an eye on their palatial properties even from a yacht in the Mediterranean.

Pictured: an intricate Fortified handle

Pictured: an intricate Fortified handle

Meanwhile, ballistic panels can be installed under wood-paneled walls as an extra layer of protection, complete with security doors and bulletproof windows that can be opened.

Clients also commission Fortified to install gun safe rooms, a protective vault to store weapons, art, currency and other valuables.

The rooms are “fortified against fires, storms and all types of human attacks,” according to Fortified’s website.

The surge in demand for high-end home security services comes amid calls for violence against corporate bosses by followers of accused killer Mangione, who police say was found with a manifesto stating “ill will toward American companies.”

In the days following the murder, alarming “wanted” posters featuring top healthcare executives were posted throughout New York City.

The threatening posters were seen on Canal Street, one of Manhattan’s busiest thoroughfares, flanked by the red and black words: “Wanted.” Denying medical care for corporate profits. “Healthcare CEOs should not feel safe.”

Fortified properties are modernized with 'armor' designed to complement the existing aesthetic of any home, from a glass-walled mansion in Florida to a Victorian-style estate in the Hamptons.

Fortified properties are modernized with ‘armor’ designed to complement the existing aesthetic of any home, from a glass-walled mansion in Florida to a Victorian-style estate in the Hamptons.

Clients also commission Fortified to install gun safe rooms – a high-security vault to store weapons, art, currency and other expensive belongings.

Clients also commission Fortified to install gun safe rooms – a high-security vault to store weapons, art, currency and other expensive belongings.

Ballistic panels can be installed under wood-paneled walls as an extra layer of protection, complete with security doors and bulletproof windows like those shown above.

Ballistic panels can be installed under wood-paneled walls as an extra layer of protection, complete with security doors and bulletproof windows like those shown above.

Along with increasing home security, some CEOs have also responded by hiring simulated intruders to investigate potential flaws in their security details, according to Tim Gallagher, chief security officer at research firm Nardello.

Big companies have also become more vigilant, including Goldman Sachs, which brought in extra security for a recent conference in Lower Manhattan.

Mangione, an Ivy League engineering graduate, was arrested on December 9 moments after eating a hash brown at a McDonald’s in Altoona, PA.

Police closed in on the suspected killer after a restaurant employee recognized him from surveillance footage the NYPD shared online in the wake of the Midtown Manhattan shooting.

He was later charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Thompson, 50, shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday outside the Hilton hotel, where the executive was scheduled to give a speech to fund the heavyweights. that same day.

Mangione appears to have led police on a 280-mile search from New York City’s 6th Avenue to the small Pennsylvania town of Altoona, about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh.

The gunman left a trail of open clues about his motive, including ammunition engraved with the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” and a bag of money from the board game Monopoly in his backpack that he had left in Central Park.

Bulletproof doors are its most popular feature, starting at $9,000 per accessory.

Bulletproof doors are its most popular feature, starting at $9,000 per accessory.

Pictured: The entrance to a Fortified Estate panic room

Pictured: A high security gate from Fortified Estate

Panic or safe rooms are built into many of the homes: a secret, bulletproof space designed to integrate with a bedroom or closet, with access to a designated security specialist available by phone or text message.

Fortified Estate said they have seen an estimated 50 percent increase in customer inquiries since Luigi Mangione allegedly shot and killed Brian Thompson on December 4. (Pictured: Mangione arriving at his extradition hearing at Blair County Court in Pennsylvania last week.)

Fortified Estate said they have seen an estimated 50 percent increase in customer inquiries since Luigi Mangione allegedly shot and killed Brian Thompson on December 4. (Pictured: Mangione arriving at his extradition hearing at Blair County Court in Pennsylvania last week.)

Officials believe the bullet etchings refer to the “three D’s of insurance,” tactics used by American insurance giants to deny patient claims.

This motive appeared to be even more clearly outlined in a handwritten manifesto that police confiscated from Mangione during his arrest.

“To the feds, I will be brief, because I respect what you do for our country,” the three-page document says. “To save you a lengthy investigation, I clearly state that I was not working with anyone.”

“I apologize for any conflict or trauma, but it had to be done,” the document adds. “Frankly, these parasites just had it coming.”

Mangione also allegedly had a ghost gun believed to be the rare World War II-era inspired 9mm pistol used in Thompson’s murder. which, the New York Post reported, was a Swiss-made Brugger & Thomet VP9 and a silencer.

His next appearance in court in New York will be later.