Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Italian Hostages freed due to ransome being paid - Rome Paid Big Ransom to Free Hostages
Reuters ^ | Sept.29 | Luke Baker

Posted on 09/29/2004 9:12:51 AM PDT by Ace

Ransom payments seen fuelling Iraq's hostage crisis

By Luke Baker BAGHDAD, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The release of two Italian aid workers in Iraq has raised hopes other hostages may soon be freed, but reports that a large ransom was paid may only feed the burgeoning hostage crisis.

The two Italians, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, had been seized along with two Iraqi colleagues from a central Baghdad office in a brazen attack witnesses described as very organised and probably carried out by a criminal gang.

Gustavo Selva, an Italian lawmaker, told French radio a ransom of around $1 million had been handed over.

"In principle, we shouldn't give in to blackmail but this time we had to. Although it's a dangerous path to take because, obviously, it could encourage others to take hostages, either for political reasons or for criminal reasons," Selva told RTL.

"The sum ($1 million) is probably correct," he added.

Over the past year or more, hundreds of Iraqis -- doctors, surgeons and prominent businessmen -- have been kidnapped by criminal gangs who demand ransoms of up to $100,000.

Now, with so many easily-identifiable foreigners in Iraq, criminals appear to have branched out, targeting more lucrative Westerners and foreign workers as well as locals.

Kadhim estimates that about 90 percent of the kidnappings in Iraq are carried out by criminal gangs, who then trade the captives on to militant Islamic groups and other factions.

"If the criminals don't get their money within 72 hours or so, they sell them up the chain to other groups," said a British security consultant who has been operating in Iraq for a year.

"There's vast amounts of money being paid, whether it's by companies, families or governments. It's a very, very good business," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.netscape.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: crime; hostageransome; hostages; increasedterrorism; iraq; italianhostages; italy; napalminthemorning; seehowanitalianbows; wot
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 101-120121-140141-160161-180 next last
To: Aquinasfan

C'mon. What he thinks really doesn't matter. Why'd you bother asking?


121 posted on 09/29/2004 2:50:51 PM PDT by LibertarianInExile (The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 86 | View Replies]

To: nikos1121

There are articles about 'chipping' being done in Mexico to prevent it. It's not a bad connection. You should consider sending that idea to the government for use there.


122 posted on 09/29/2004 2:52:16 PM PDT by LibertarianInExile (The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 92 | View Replies]

To: wideawake

This Pope, has been a let down in the last 20 years.


123 posted on 09/29/2004 3:00:35 PM PDT by JesseJane ( “fake but accurate” ... it’s like saying a body in a pine box is “dead but lifelike.” -- Lileks)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 110 | View Replies]

To: Rutles4Ever

The only ones who made a big mistake were the two woman the moment they joined their leftist, anti-Christian, anti-Western Culture Gramnscian group and went to Baghdad with their Iraqi companions.

The Italian government is not to blame. The Italian people are not to blame, nor the woman's families are to blame. The women, and the women only are to blame for the whole ordeal.

Expect these two brainwashed imbecils to soon return to Iraq after preaching of their islamist captors' respect and benevolence and of their conversion to islam.


124 posted on 09/29/2004 3:01:58 PM PDT by TAquinas
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: RedBloodedAmerican; Jim Robinson; Admin Moderator
Well, obviously you don't care about your reputation, only smearing the Vatican through this ridiculous innuendo.

The first quote mentions clerics, all right--those who know the kidnappers. "kidnappers are being paid, perhaps not directly by governments, but via other channels, through clerics and others who have contact with the kidnappers." That is, they didn't put up the money but act as go-betweens. The second quote is this:

"some Iraqi clerics have profited from acting as intermediaries in talks with kidnappers. And the security consultant said some of the money fuels the insurgency."

Your anti-papist bigotry got the better of you here. You might have gotten away with a stretch saying that the clerics were Catholic and taking a cut, but there is nothing in this article to even remotely imply that the 'Vatican funds terrorists.' You simply have the tinfoil hat on and your SuperMasonic powers tuned too high.

That your comment hasn't been deleted already is a shame.

125 posted on 09/29/2004 3:02:10 PM PDT by LibertarianInExile (The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 97 | View Replies]

To: JesseJane
This Pope, has been a let down in the last 20 years.

That's one opinion. It's not mine, though.

That's the most fearfully crushing responsibility on the planet.

126 posted on 09/29/2004 3:04:33 PM PDT by wideawake (God bless our brave soldiers and their Commander in Chief)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 123 | View Replies]

To: RedBloodedAmerican; wideawake

You could get one quickly at RandMcNally.com. I don't know where you can get a clue. I was born with one.


127 posted on 09/29/2004 3:04:54 PM PDT by LibertarianInExile (The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 117 | View Replies]

To: AQGeiger

I think you've been all your life.

Tell me, can you pronounce your Italian surname?


128 posted on 09/29/2004 3:12:42 PM PDT by TAquinas
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: LibertarianInExile

But, I never made a personal attack on you, violating posting rules, now did I? Can you say the same?


129 posted on 09/29/2004 3:29:51 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 125 | View Replies]

To: Ace
This fits with the pattern. After Hussein was removed from Iraq, some terrorist cells resorted to bank robbery to get money. Now they are taking hostages for ransom.

It is a sign of desperation.

-PJ

130 posted on 09/29/2004 3:39:31 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (It's still not safe to vote Democrat.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ace
I cannot repeat what I just screamed at my monitor, I'll be banned.

Way to encourage the terrorists in their behavior!

131 posted on 09/29/2004 3:45:57 PM PDT by pubmom (Suffering from DITS (Democrat induced tourette's syndrome)since 1992.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RedBloodedAmerican

Truth is a defense to slander. A personal attack is one which unfairly tarnishes the argument of someone by attacking their person instead of their argument; I fail to see where I've done that, since your comments speak directly to everything I've posted about you.

But I'll gladly retract each and every comment I've posted about you if you'll admit your smear of the Vatican was motivated by your bias against it, and not because of any support in the article here. Honest bigots actually have some value to the world.


132 posted on 09/29/2004 3:48:19 PM PDT by LibertarianInExile (The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 129 | View Replies]

To: Ace
I have a practical question:

How does one actually pay such a ransom? Unmarked bills in a paper bag? Electronic transfer? Personal check? Gold coins?

133 posted on 09/29/2004 3:49:25 PM PDT by snopercod ("I'm so proud to be a part of this great mass deception" --Frank Zappa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: LibertarianInExile
Oh please, you pompous ass. If I had posted any of the crap to you or about the Vatican that you wrote about me, you'd be having a hissy fit. Grow up.
134 posted on 09/29/2004 3:50:32 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 132 | View Replies]

To: wideawake

Understood..

:)


135 posted on 09/29/2004 3:54:47 PM PDT by JesseJane ( “fake but accurate” ... it’s like saying a body in a pine box is “dead but lifelike.” -- Lileks)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 126 | View Replies]

To: RedBloodedAmerican

Your more scurrilous posts been deleted already. So enjoy your tirading. As a special favor to me, could you include the words "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion" in there somewhere, so the kids get a little history lesson as to the rewards of bigotry when they look the phrase up?

There are plenty of reasons to dislike the Catholic church. Please pick one of those and lobby the Vatican directly, instead of doing what you're doing. It might result in the Vatican doing something to change the things you dislike.


136 posted on 09/29/2004 3:56:48 PM PDT by LibertarianInExile (The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 134 | View Replies]

To: LibertarianInExile

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A top Vatican official said Tuesday he felt pity and compassion for Saddam Hussein and criticized the U.S. military for showing video footage of him being treated “like a cow.”

Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican’s Justice and Peace department and a former papal envoy to the United Nations, told a news conference it would be “illusory” to think the arrest of the former Iraqi president would heal all the damage caused by a war which the Holy See opposed.

“I felt pity to see this man destroyed, (the military) looking at his teeth as if he were a cow. They could have spared us these pictures,” he said.

“Seeing him like this, a man in his tragedy, despite all the heavy blame he bears, I had a sense of compassion for him,” he said in answer to questions about Saddam’s arrest.


137 posted on 09/29/2004 3:57:55 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 136 | View Replies]

To: TAquinas

I didn't mean my post quite as seriously as some folks on this forum took it. I'm not very good at humor. But I'm in the middle of studying and haven't had the time to qualify it.

And yes, I do know how to pronouce my Italian surname. I thank you for your condescension.


138 posted on 09/29/2004 4:00:09 PM PDT by AQGeiger (Have you hugged your soldier today?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 128 | View Replies]

To: nikos1121
That's right, if there is surveillance that will give you the whereabouts of the person kidnapped the kidnappings would stop after a few are rescued. It would have to be a very small device that can emit a very small signal.... my question does the technology exist? There have been a number of such posts on most of the threads related to hostages in Iraq. My take? Not feasible. Many folks confuse implantable 'RF-Id' chips (like those installed in pets), which are meant to be scanned and read at short range (only a few feet or yards), with satellite tracking devices such as those installed in planes and some commercial truck fleets. The latter are way too bulky to be implanted, need their own power source, etc. Just not practical (at least today) despite what one might see in movies or certain TV shows. -IIG
139 posted on 09/29/2004 4:19:43 PM PDT by IonImplantGuru (PhD, School of Hard Knocks)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 99 | View Replies]

To: RedBloodedAmerican

And this relates to your earlier assertion how?


140 posted on 09/29/2004 4:21:56 PM PDT by LibertarianInExile (The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 137 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 101-120121-140141-160161-180 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson