Italy 'paid $1m to free hostages' - GoFuckYourself.com

DVTimes · 09-29-2004, 06:23 AM

A senior Italian politician says he believes that a ransom of $1m or more was paid for the release of two female Italian aid workers kidnapped in Iraq.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has said no money was paid.

But Gustavo Selva, head of the Italian parliament's foreign affairs committee, said the denial was purely "official".

The BBC's Guto Harri in Rome says Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has fuelled the rumours by talking of "a difficult choice which had to be made".

"The young women's life was the most important thing," Mr Selva, a member of the Northern League, one of the parties in Italy's governing coalition, told French RTL radio.

"In principle, one should not give in to blackmail, but this time I think we had to give in - even though this opens a dangerous path because it is obvious that both for political or criminal reasons, this path can make others want to take others hostage to make some money."

The allegations, first made in a Kuwaiti newspaper, have been widely reported in the Italian media.

Security experts have told the BBC that money is likely to have played some part in the negotiations, but they also point to intensive behind-the-scenes negotiations on the part of the Italians.

Mr Berlusconi has spoken of 16 separate negotiations to free the women.

Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that two French journalists and UK hostage Ken Bigley could soon be freed.

Mr Bigley's family has taken hope from a message posted on an Arabic website, purported to be from the kidnappers, which said the hostage would be freed soon.

The message said Mr Bigley would be spared but warned others would be kidnapped and beheaded if foreign forces did not leave Iraq.

And a French negotiator says he has reached a deal with kidnappers to free journalists Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot.

The envoy, Philippe Brett, told al-Arabiya TV he had seen the two men, kidnapped on 21 August, and they would be released soon.

However, the French foreign ministry said it had no knowledge of any deal and said Mr Brett was not part of any official negotiations.

The UK Foreign Ministry said it was trying to establish whether the internet message about Mr Bigley was genuine.

'Treated with respect'

The two Italian women, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, flew back to Rome on Tuesday night to a rapturous welcome, after three weeks of captivity.

Two Iraqis seized with them on 7 September, and four Egyptian telecom workers taken in a separate kidnapping last week, have also been freed.

The two Simonas, as they have become known, appeared in good health as they arrived in Rome.

"There were times when we feared we'd be killed," Ms Torretta said. "But at other times we laughed together."

The women, both 29, told Italian officials they had been kept blindfolded for almost all the time and had never seen their captors' faces. They were kept together and in the same place all the time.

"We have been treated with a lot of respect," Ms Torretta told Italian news agencies.

Many different groups are thought to be operating in Iraq. Some are criminal gangs seeking ransoms, while others have made political demands.

The hardline group holding UK hostage Ken Bigley, the Tawhid and Jihad group, has beheaded two Americans seized with him. It has also been blamed for the deaths of previous hostages.

About 30 other foreigners, including several from Arab countries, are still being held, while several Iraqis have been kidnapped for ransom.

The BBC's Caroline Hawley in Baghdad no-one has precise figures of the number of Iraqis who have been abducted, but doctors, academics, businessmen, anyone with money, is at risk - as are their children.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3700480.stm

jacked · 09-29-2004, 06:24 AM

they were just talking about it on cnn they didn't disclose how much the italians paid though thats insane

kmanrox · 09-29-2004, 06:29 AM

like we didnt already suspect that?

and W in the F are people thinking going to Iraq for ANY reason???? idiots

Basic_man · 09-29-2004, 06:30 AM

1 million more $$ for the terrorist who gonna buy more weapon to kill more hostage !

TheLegacy · 09-29-2004, 06:32 AM

thats actually small cash and well worth it for someones life. Problem is that now these guys have messed with some Italians - wonder how long the Mafia is going to stand around before they get involved??

Mojiteaux · 09-29-2004, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Basic_man
1 million more $$ for the terrorist who gonna buy more weapon to kill more hostage !

More money to kill American soldiers you mean and take more hostages to get more money to kill American soldiers and take more hostages to get more money to kill American soldiers and take more hostages to get more money to kill American soldiers and take more hostages to get more money to kill American soldiers and take more hostages to get more money to kill American soldiers etc

drctfiesta · 09-29-2004, 07:06 AM

peanuts for someone's life

Phoenix · 09-29-2004, 07:07 AM

not a good move but you cant just allow your citizens to be killed

i never found out why the canadian woman was released, i dont think we paid anything

Odin88 · 09-29-2004, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by drctfiesta
peanuts for someone's life

I'd agree of course, but at the same time it is quite likely saving one persons life and helping them to take many more. People are often too weak to see the greater 'good'. This war is total bs in my opinion, but paying people off isn't the solution.

sperbonzo · 09-29-2004, 07:45 AM

Hey! Let's go kidnapp some Italians! I could use the $$!

xclusive · 09-29-2004, 07:57 AM

Damn that's a lot of cash it's amazing how much can be bought with that amount of money...

JFK · 09-29-2004, 08:05 AM

a Million is no reason to lose a head over

Shags · 09-29-2004, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by drctfiesta
peanuts for someone's life

Never negotiate with terrorists under any circumstances, they just gave them 1.000.000 reason to do it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again?.

MichaelP · 09-29-2004, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Phoenix
i never found out why the canadian woman was released, i dont think we paid anything

Cause she was naging them all the time ...

JFK · 09-29-2004, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by qwebecexpo
Cause she was naging them all the time ...

must of been from Quebec ................

MichaelP · 09-29-2004, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JFK
must of been from Quebec ................

Nah. If she had been from Quebec, they wouldn't release her ...

kowntafit · 09-29-2004, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Basic_man
1 million more $$ for the terrorist who gonna buy more weapon to kill more hostage !

Yeah, they would be stupid not to reinvest into the business. :winkwink

stev0 · 09-29-2004, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Phoenix
not a good move but you cant just allow your citizens to be killed

i never found out why the canadian woman was released, i dont think we paid anything

Probably because Canada's not in Iraq... It wouldn't serve their cause.

Phoenix · 09-29-2004, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by qwebecexpo
Cause she was naging them all the time ...

haha i laughed long and hard here

it might be true

tony286 · 09-29-2004, 09:21 AM

I can see doing that instead of just saying no and more senseless death happens

JFK · 09-29-2004, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tony404
I can see doing that instead of just saying no and more senseless death happens

exactly, all of a sudden peoples lives can be spared, What idiot doesnt want money instead of butchering someone?

M_M · 09-29-2004, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kmanrox
like we didnt already suspect that?

and W in the F are people thinking going to Iraq for ANY reason???? idiots

Exactly, only US is allowed

D_Nell · 09-29-2004, 09:52 AM

Hmm sounds like all Iraqi's can kidnap Italians and get paid.. Sounds better than the daily poverty they are in .

hmm..... Italy may have fucked themselves

Furious_Male · 09-29-2004, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shags
Never negotiate with terrorists under any circumstances, they just gave them 1.000.000 reason to do it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again?.

Agreed. And since Italy paid up they will be a huge target.

Don't get me wrong I have a lot of compassion for those hostages and there families. And if it was one of my family members over there I would want the govt to pay. That makes me a hypocrite yes but at the same time I do realize paying these terrorists is just going to make things worst.

foolio · 09-29-2004, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by drctfiesta
peanuts for someone's life

only idiots would say anything like this.

What this does is open the door wide open for MORE hostages to be taken. How many times they gonna pay?

Dirty F · 09-29-2004, 09:59 AM

Yeah idiots. They should have let them behead the 2 women like the Americans would have done.

Saving their life's...pff...what a stupid move.

D_Nell · 09-29-2004, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Battuss
Yeah idiots. They should have let them behead the 2 women like the Americans would have done.

Saving their life's...pff...what a stupid move.

Its not about saving lives we all want to save lives, its what do you think it does to their minds if they find out kidnappings pay big money. It will explode to a stage that undermines the US policy on Terrorism and fuck everything up. THe next person who says Iraq is a bust I'm going to kick their ass.

Dirty F · 09-29-2004, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by D_Nell
Its not about saving lives we all want to save lives, its what do you think it does to their minds if they find out kidnappings pay big money. It will explode to a stage that undermines the US policy on Terrorism and fuck everything up. THe next person who says Iraq is a bust I'm going to kick their ass.

Heres a hint, everybody get their fucking ass out of Iraq.

What are they doing there again expect killing Iraqi's?

TheJimmy · 09-29-2004, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shags
Never negotiate with terrorists under any circumstances, they just gave them 1.000.000 reason to do it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again?.

we gave them a SHITLOAD of reason to do this BEFORE that payment was ever made...

come on people, follow along here...it was not paying money to terrorists that started this shit...

although I think dealing with terrorists is a tricky issue, I'm glad that 2 people's lives were saved...stopping the terrorists will come by means OTHER than small payoffs....

they have incentive to do this as long as the media covers it...money was just a bonus to them

wdsguy · 09-29-2004, 10:22 AM

thats just great, givin them more money to buy weapons

warlock5 · 09-29-2004, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Battuss
Heres a hint, everybody get their fucking ass out of Iraq.

What are they doing there again expect killing Iraqi's?

Kind of like these people who go backpacking in Colombia and get kidnapped. Anyone in Iraq right now knows the risk. Paying money to free the hostages was about political careers, not their safety.

Adultnet · 09-29-2004, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by wdsguy
thats just great, givin them more money to buy weapons

sucks but dont forget that it saved lives of 2 women.

TheJimmy · 09-29-2004, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by wdsguy
thats just great, givin them more money to buy weapons

knives, swords and AK's aren't very expensive in that part of the world...

and the big players that you gotta worry about getting their hands on the 'big boy toys' already have that kind of cash...don't believe the hype

DVTimes · 10-06-2004, 05:40 AM

Living For Today · 10-06-2004, 05:52 AM

Well worth the money especially if you were family of those women. It's a fucked situation. Nothing can be done really.

09-29-2004, 06:23 AM	#1
DVTimes xxx Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: UK Posts: 31,544	Italy 'paid $1m to free hostages' A senior Italian politician says he believes that a ransom of $1m or more was paid for the release of two female Italian aid workers kidnapped in Iraq. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has said no money was paid. But Gustavo Selva, head of the Italian parliament's foreign affairs committee, said the denial was purely "official". The BBC's Guto Harri in Rome says Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has fuelled the rumours by talking of "a difficult choice which had to be made". "The young women's life was the most important thing," Mr Selva, a member of the Northern League, one of the parties in Italy's governing coalition, told French RTL radio. "In principle, one should not give in to blackmail, but this time I think we had to give in - even though this opens a dangerous path because it is obvious that both for political or criminal reasons, this path can make others want to take others hostage to make some money." The allegations, first made in a Kuwaiti newspaper, have been widely reported in the Italian media. Security experts have told the BBC that money is likely to have played some part in the negotiations, but they also point to intensive behind-the-scenes negotiations on the part of the Italians. Mr Berlusconi has spoken of 16 separate negotiations to free the women. Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that two French journalists and UK hostage Ken Bigley could soon be freed. Mr Bigley's family has taken hope from a message posted on an Arabic website, purported to be from the kidnappers, which said the hostage would be freed soon. The message said Mr Bigley would be spared but warned others would be kidnapped and beheaded if foreign forces did not leave Iraq. And a French negotiator says he has reached a deal with kidnappers to free journalists Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot. The envoy, Philippe Brett, told al-Arabiya TV he had seen the two men, kidnapped on 21 August, and they would be released soon. However, the French foreign ministry said it had no knowledge of any deal and said Mr Brett was not part of any official negotiations. The UK Foreign Ministry said it was trying to establish whether the internet message about Mr Bigley was genuine. 'Treated with respect' The two Italian women, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, flew back to Rome on Tuesday night to a rapturous welcome, after three weeks of captivity. Two Iraqis seized with them on 7 September, and four Egyptian telecom workers taken in a separate kidnapping last week, have also been freed. The two Simonas, as they have become known, appeared in good health as they arrived in Rome. "There were times when we feared we'd be killed," Ms Torretta said. "But at other times we laughed together." The women, both 29, told Italian officials they had been kept blindfolded for almost all the time and had never seen their captors' faces. They were kept together and in the same place all the time. "We have been treated with a lot of respect," Ms Torretta told Italian news agencies. Many different groups are thought to be operating in Iraq. Some are criminal gangs seeking ransoms, while others have made political demands. The hardline group holding UK hostage Ken Bigley, the Tawhid and Jihad group, has beheaded two Americans seized with him. It has also been blamed for the deaths of previous hostages. About 30 other foreigners, including several from Arab countries, are still being held, while several Iraqis have been kidnapped for ransom. The BBC's Caroline Hawley in Baghdad no-one has precise figures of the number of Iraqis who have been abducted, but doctors, academics, businessmen, anyone with money, is at risk - as are their children. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3700480.stm __________________ The Affiliate Program

09-29-2004, 06:24 AM	#2
jacked sperm tail Industry Role: Join Date: May 2004 Location: nj Posts: 11,019	they were just talking about it on cnn they didn't disclose how much the italians paid though thats insane __________________ Got Cam Models? icq: 361-607-616

09-29-2004, 06:29 AM	#3
kmanrox aka K-Man Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: The Gutter Posts: 29,292	like we didnt already suspect that? and W in the F are people thinking going to Iraq for ANY reason???? idiots __________________ Crypto HODLr Crypto mining Angel investor

09-29-2004, 06:30 AM	#4
Basic_man Programming King Pin Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Montreal Posts: 27,360	1 million more $$ for the terrorist who gonna buy more weapon to kill more hostage ! __________________ UUGallery Builder - automated photo/video gallery plugin for Wordpress! Stop looking! Checkout Naked Hosting, online since 1999 !

09-29-2004, 06:32 AM	#5
TheLegacy SEO Connoisseur Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Brantford, Ontario Posts: 17,098	thats actually small cash and well worth it for someones life. Problem is that now these guys have messed with some Italians - wonder how long the Mafia is going to stand around before they get involved?? __________________ SEO Connoisseur Microsoft Teams: Robert Warren SEO Telegram: @TheLegacy54 RobertWarrenSEO.com

09-29-2004, 07:06 AM	#7
drctfiesta Confirmed User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Kingdom of Darkness Posts: 1,821	peanuts for someone's life __________________ *

09-29-2004, 07:07 AM	#8
Phoenix BACON BACON BACON Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Poems everybody, the laddie fancies himself a poet Posts: 35,462	not a good move but you cant just allow your citizens to be killed i never found out why the canadian woman was released, i dont think we paid anything __________________ Skype Phoenixskype1 Telegram PhoenixBrad https://quantads.io

09-29-2004, 07:45 AM	#10
sperbonzo I'd rather be on my boat. Industry Role: Join Date: May 2003 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 9,748	Hey! Let's go kidnapp some Italians! I could use the $$! __________________ Michael Sperber / Acella Financial LLC/ Online Payment Processing [email protected] / http://Acellafinancial.com/ ICQ 177961090 / Tel +1 909 NET BILL / Skype msperber

09-29-2004, 07:57 AM	#11
xclusive Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 35,218	Damn that's a lot of cash it's amazing how much can be bought with that amount of money... __________________ I support MediumPimpin.com / Shemp's Outlawtgp.com /

09-29-2004, 08:05 AM	#12
JFK FUBAR the ORIGINATOR Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: FUBARLAND Posts: 67,374	a Million is no reason to lose a head over __________________ FUBAR Webmasters - The FUBAR Times - FUBAR Webmasters Mobile - FUBARTV.XXX For promo opps contact jfk at fubarwebmasters dot com

09-29-2004, 09:21 AM	#20
tony286 lurker Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: atlanta Posts: 57,021	I can see doing that instead of just saying no and more senseless death happens

09-29-2004, 09:52 AM	#23
D_Nell Confirmed User Join Date: May 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,264	Hmm sounds like all Iraqi's can kidnap Italians and get paid.. Sounds better than the daily poverty they are in . hmm..... Italy may have fucked themselves __________________ ITS TIME FOR SOME FREEHOSTING DAMN IT! CLICK HERE! ICQ# 98081374 \| [email protected]

09-29-2004, 09:59 AM	#26
Dirty F Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 59,204	Yeah idiots. They should have let them behead the 2 women like the Americans would have done. Saving their life's...pff...what a stupid move.

09-29-2004, 10:22 AM	#30
wdsguy Ryde or Die Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: California-Shanghai Posts: 19,568	thats just great, givin them more money to buy weapons

10-06-2004, 05:40 AM	#34
DVTimes xxx Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: UK Posts: 31,544	__________________ The Affiliate Program

10-06-2004, 05:52 AM	#35
Living For Today Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,970	Well worth the money especially if you were family of those women. It's a fucked situation. Nothing can be done really.