A South African man kidnapped in Mali last year is being used as a bargaining tool by al-Qaeda.
The terrorist organisation wants to have a militant Jordanian preacher released from house arrest and returned to the Middle East.
This week, a statement on a militant Islamist website asked for the release of Abu Qatada, who was arrested in Britain in February after being convicted in his absence for his involvement in militant plots in Jordan.
The group, which provided an incorrect name for the SA man, asked for Qatada to be deported to one of the “Arab Spring” countries so that he could be returned to al-Qaeda.
In November last year, the North African branch of al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the man, alongside two other tourists, a Swedish and Dutch national.
The group released a statement in which they denied kidnapping three foreign aid workers in Algeria, but admitted that they had abducted the three men from Timbuktu in Mali.
The South African, who also has British citizenship, had been travelling south from Timbuktu and was to have returned home in December.
It was reported that he had been at a Timbuktu restaurant when a group of gunmen burst into the building, taking four tourists and executing a German after he refused to climb into their truck.
The men were identified, but cannot be named due to the sensitive nature of the kidnapping.
The man’s father said the family had been briefed by SAPS hostage negotiators and told to maintain a low profile as too much information in the public domain could jeopardise the case.
The 36-year-old South African’s family had been negotiating for his release for the past few months, but were shocked to hear of the al-Qaeda message on Tuesday.
The man’s father told The Star that he was in the UK to visit his daughter, but had been informed of the al-Qaeda bid.
However, he had not been briefed by either the British Foreign Office or the Department of International Relations and Co-operation on any negotiations.
“Of course we are worried, but we can’t comment at this time,” he said.
Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesman Clayson Monyela was unwilling to comment on SA’s response to the bid.
However, he said the British government and the family had been contacted and were to be briefed shortly.
Speaking on Skype before the kidnapping, the man told his father that civil unrest in the capital Bamako was “getting out of hand” and that it was time for the group to leave Mali as soon as possible. But less than 24 hours later, the man and his two friends were reported missing.
“They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said the man’s father. - shain.germaner@inl.co.za
The Star
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