Germany Plans Worldwide Hunt for Sahara Kidnappers

Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutors’ Office is preparing to issue warrants for the arrest of the hostage takers who kidnapped European adventure holidaymakers and held them for six months. According to the newsmagazine Der Spiegel, although the kidnappers eventually released all but one hostage unharmed, Berlin wants to counter the impression that it pays to kidnap Germans.

Although terms of the hostages’ release have not been made public, Germany’s public broadcasters ARD and ZDF have reported that a 4.6 million euro ($5.06 million) ransom was paid to the kidnappers by Germany via the Malian government.

“The kidnappers should not escape unpunished,” said Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. But neither he nor his government will comment on the ransom issue. Earlier, the chancellor said that he had “good reason” not to comment on those reports.

Crime does pay?

Security analysts have said politicians have good reason to avoid the topic of paying ransom. Paying ransom for the release of hostages could set a dangerous precedent and has already sparked fears of a possible kidnapping spree.

“If we get the same situation as we have in Colombia where you see a whole industry of ransoming and hostage-taking, it would be very disconcerting,” Peter van Ham, a Dutch security expert, told Reuters.

Among those sought after is one of the leading figures in the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), Amari Saifi, 47, better known by his nom de guerre Abderrazak el Para. He claimed his group was responsible for the kidnapping in a statement faxed to journalists in Algiers.

The GSPC, which is reputed to have several hundred members, is fighting for a purist Islamic state in Algeria and has been linked to the al Qaeda terrorist network.

In order to identify other figures involved in the abduction, German authorities began questioning the released hostages as they left the Malian capital Bamako on their way to freedom. According to Spiegel, authorities are also in possession of a videotape on which several additional kidnappers appear.

Germans at Risk

Berlin is also anxious to dissuade other groups that kidnapping is a lucrative activity because tourism officials say Germans could be especially at risk. They are the world’s most frequent travellers and increasingly seek out remote destinations. Nine of the hostages were German, four were Swiss and one Dutch.

Traditionally, the West German government has taken a hard line against kidnappers’ demands. That led in some cases to hostages being killed, such as Hans-Martin Schleyer (picture), the industrial leader kidnapped in 1977 by Red Army Faction guerrillas. Schleyer was shot by his abductors after the government refused their demands to free imprisoned RAF members.

But the German stance shows signs of softening. Newspapers have reported that the German government paid nearly one million dollars in ransom in 2000 for a German woman who was being held in the southern Philippines.