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Swede held by al-Qaeda in Mali freed
Johan Gustafsson returned home and was reunited with his family, Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom told news hounds late on Monday as she showed a picture of the ex-captive surrounded by his relatives. "I welcomed him home, and I can say that he is in good health and is holding up well, given the circumstances," she said. Wallstrom refused to provide details about how Sweden secured Gustafsson's release, saying only that it occurred "a couple of days ago" and was the result of "several years of efforts" by police, politicians and diplomats, as well as Swedish and international authorities. She also did not comment on whether a ransom was paid. She said only that "Sweden's policy is to not pay ransoms in the event of kidnappings". 'Malian officials helped' A Malian security source meanwhile told the AFP news agency that officials in the West African country had "helped secure the release of the Swedish hostage. He was released in the Mali desert". Gustafsson, 42, was kidnapped in Timbuktu, northern Mali, in November 2011 along with South African national Stephen McGown and Dutchman Sjaak Rijke. There was no immediate word on the fate of McGown. Rijke had been freed in 2015 by French special forces. Gustafsson was on a cycle of violence trip from Sweden to South Africa when he was kidnapped.
Rijke's wife managed to escape, but a German who tried to resist the abduction was killed. Al-Qaeda's North African affiliate, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), grabbed credit for the kidnappings. Posted by: Fred 2017-06-27 |
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