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| Iran |
| Iran arrests tourist kidnappers |
| 2004-01-02 |
| Iranian authorities have arrested the kidnappers of an Irish and two German tourists, who were released on Sunday after a three-week ordeal, the foreign ministry said Thursday. "These people are in the hands of the intelligence ministry, and it is up to that ministry to provide the necessary information," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said, without giving further details. The trio was kidnapped around December 2 by bandits while cycling near Nosrat Abad, on the road between the ancient city of Bam, which was devastated by a killer earthquake Friday, and Zahedan near the border with Pakistan. Their kidnappers, originally believed to be drug smugglers disgruntled by the police seizure of a consignment, had demanded a five-million-euro (six-million-dollar) ransom. But Intelligence Minister Ali Yunessi said the kidnappers were linked to the Islamic militant network al-Qaeda. "The hostage-takers claimed to be linked to al-Qaeda," Yunessi said in a statement on Sunday, when the hostages were released. Oh goody, more to add to the "in custody" list ... And at a press conference after their release, the tourists said their abductors had claimed to be "Taleban linked to al-Qaeda," but added that they had not been mistreated. Iran is likely to treat any Taliban it runs across a lot different than the local crop of al-Qaeda. Binny’s boyz can help out the Black Hats, whereas any Talibs are likely to be seen as chopped liver. One said their captors spoke Farsi, so he assumed they were Iranians. Iran had said it would not pay the ransom, and asked Germany and Ireland also to not give in to blackmail. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |