By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 13 January 2014:
After a kidnapping lasting almost four months, defence minister Abdullah Al-Thinni’s only son, Muhammed was . . .[restrict]released late this afternoon.
The confused but clearly relieved 26 year-old Muhammed, appeared before press and media this evening. He said that he knew little of where he had been held since he was dragged out of his Hyundai motor car on 24 September, while visiting Janzour. He said his kidnappers had worn masks and he had been moved from one hiding place to another.
Despite his family’s anguish, the defence minister had continued with a full programme of official duties throughout the kidnapping. In November the personal challenges were compounded, when a surge of social media reports insisted that Muhammed had been released. These were denied in an angry statement given by Thinni, who also blamed the media for not doing more to check facts.
It was unclear this evening if the kidnap ended because the abductors received some sort of material or financial consideration, or simply because they decided to give up or were persuaded by intermediaries to abandon their high-profile hostage. [/restrict]
