Who is Butrus Eben Halim from By Way of Deception and what is their importance?

Butrus Eben Halim is an Iraqi who lives in the Villejuif section of Paris with his wife Samira. They have no children and do not have a happy marriage. He travels to work by bus, following a circular route as he has been told to by Iraqi security. The only two constants in his route are the bus stop in Villejuif and the Gare Saint-Lazare Metro station, from which he takes the train to Sarcelles. Sarcelles is located north of Paris and is the site of a top secret project. The French are building a nuclear reactor for Iraq and Halim is a scientist assigned to the project.