These women weren't just aid workers, they were and are anti-war activists. I also wonder if they were in on the kidnapping.
You got in first (I was pulled away from my desk)
Yes, I also wouldn't be surpised if Torretta's kidnapping turned out to be a put-up job: extort money from the Italian Govt and simultaneously bring the Italian Iraq policy into disrepute.
Let this be a lesson to us all. Never EVER pay ransom for a kidnapped adult, if only because there's a 50/50 chance they'll turn out to be some preening liberal.