Two German engineers have been kidnapped in northern Iraq, police say.
The men were taken early on Tuesday from the house they were staying in at a detergent plant near the large refinery in Baiji. Police believe they were taken north to Mosul. Road blocks were set up but failed to find the men. Baiji, 180km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, has seen much insurgent activity aimed at disrupting oil distribution in recent months.
The Germans were led away by gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms, a police official told the Reuters news agency. Thomas de Maiziere, the German chancellor's chief-of-staff confirmed the kidnapping of the two men, saying they were both from the city of Leipzig. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the government had set up a crisis team to deal with the abduction. | "Gustaf, have the bank stand by." |
The kidnap of the two men follows the release of Susanne Osthoff, a German archaeologist abducted in northern Iraq in November. Mr Steinmeier said media reports that a ransom had been paid to free her might have encouraged the latest kidnapping. The German government says it does not pay ransoms to secure the release of hostages. |