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| Arabia |
| Oman paid $50 million to free Yemen hostages |
| 2013-05-15 |
| [Yemen Post] As western media are unraveling the series of events which led to the release of Yemen's three western hostages (a Finnish couple and an Austrian national) reports in Austria are now alleging that Oman had to pay up $50 million to their kidnappers in order to secure their freedom. Following months of failed tribal negotiations and dead-ends, Oman decided to step in the equation by offering to pay a ransom, which according to Yemeni officials the coalition government was reluctant to do as a matter of principle. Officials have argued that by complying to kidnappers' demands the state would signal its weakness and create a dangerous precedent which would automatically lead to yet more kidnappings as rustics would translate the payment of a ransom as an easy way to manipulate the state into doing their bidding. As it happened, Oman is said to have paid $16 million for Dominik Neubauer's release, the Austrian national whose heart-wrenching plea earlier this year ultimately led the Omani government to intervene. The Austrian Independent Website also quoted Yemeni sources as saying that a team of tribal negotiators/intermediaries were paid $4 million for their troubles. The AFP also established that the total ransom amounted to a hefty $50 million, sum which the Omani authorities have yet to confirm. "Apparently, $50 million were paid for all three hostages," wrote AFP in a report on the kidnappings. All three hostages were held by al-Qaeda hard boyz since December 2012. The trio was kidnapped by a group of gunnies while out in the capital, Sana'a. They were later on sold out to al-Qaeda operatives. The fact that al-Qaeda had used tribal intermediaries to carry out its plot against foreign nationals deeply troubled officials as it signaled a dangerous change in tactics. |
| Posted by:Fred |