Al-Qaeda Hostages: Spain has paid the highest ransom
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Spain is the country that has spent the most to free its nationals detained by the North African branch of Al Qaeda, AQIM, with a total paid of eight million euros, said Monday the newspaper El Mundo based on figures by an adviser to the Algerian government.
- Madrid has never acknowledged the payment of ransoms for the release of three volunteers from the Spanish NGO Accio Solidaria kidnapped in November 2009 and detained in Mauritania by Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in northern Mali.
- According to Kamel Rezag Bara, Algerian presidential adviser for terrorist questions, quoted by El Mundo, Madrid has spent a total of eight million euros for the release of three Spaniards in March and August.
- This amount puts Spain ahead of Italy, which paid 3.6 million for the release of two hostages of AQIM in May, and Austria, which paid 2.5 million for the release of two hostages in April 2009, the source said.
- Whereas France, whose national in the hands of AQIM, Germaneau Michel, died in July, paid no ransom, as well as the United Kingdom, whose national, Edwin Dyer has been beheaded by AQIM in June 2009, according to the Algerian advisor.
- In late August, El Mundo had said that Madrid had paid an estimated seven million euros to secure the release of its three nationals, while according to Malian mediators, AQIM has received "a total of 8 million euros" from Madrid.
- French President Nicolas Sarkozy had implicitly criticized Spain, noting that the payment of ransoms and releasing AQIM prisoners in exchange does not constitute "the only strategy" against this branch of Al Qaeda.
- Ennaharonline/ M. O.
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