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By Sami Zaptia.
London, 18 July 2017:
The Abdelrauf Kara-led RADA (Special Deterrence Force) has published the video confessions of two perpetrators of multiple kidnappings in Tripoli.
Thirty-year old cousins Ali Milood Tirshani and Mohamed Eshtewi Tirshani admitted to multiple cases of armed kidnapping for ransom, torture and car jackings.
Since victims were nominated based on their ability to be able to pay the ransom demand, their victims all owned commercial operations. One victim was a former work colleague of the kidnapper. One of the confessors admitted to two cases of kidnapping while the other to three. They both admitted to multiple cases of car jackings.
Victims were kept at farms in Wirshifana and Airport road guarded by the members of the 14-member gang. They confessed to beating and torturing the victims and then phoning their families to make the ransom demand. One victim was tied using wire from an electric stove to a bedframe. Families are told to pay the ransom or the victim will be killed, they explained. They admitted to personally collecting LD 10,000 (US$ 1,250) to LD 5,000 per kidnapping, depending on how much work they did in the operation.
Gang members who actually carryout the armed kidnapping and shoot in the air get the biggest share, one of them explained. All victims were released after families made the drop off, usually under a bridge, and the money is counted. Three or four cars would be watching the drop off point. Different members of the gang carried out different tasks. For one victim they received LD 150,000.
With regards to car jackings, one confessor said he would sit in his brother’s shop on the main road nominating cars and then the car owners would be forced out at gun point.
