Susanne Kristina Osthoff (born 7 March 1962) is a German archaeologist who had worked in Iraq from 1991 until being taken hostage there on 25 November 2005. She was freed by her captors on 18 December 2005.
Susanne Osthoff | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 March 1962 |
| Occupation | Archaeologist |
| Known for | Being kidnapped in Iraq in 2005 |
Biography
editOsthoff grew up in Grafing (Bavaria) with two brothers and one sister. She studied Near Eastern archaeology and Semitic languages at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.[1]
After her studies, she moved to Iraq to work in archaeology, including the excavation of the 4,000 year-old Islin site.[2] She subsequently married an Iraqi Sunni Muslim of the Shammar Tribe and converted to Islam.[3][4]
Abduction
editOn 25 November, Osthoff and her driver vanished in Northern Iraq.[5] Two days later, a video clip was released showing the two captives surrounded by masked, armed men who read a statement threatening to kill the hostages unless the German government stopped cooperation with the Iraqi government.[5]
Susanne Osthoff and her driver were freed from their captors on 18 December 2005.[4]
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, Marin Jager, confirmed that "the German government and the German embassy in Baghdad were involved" in securing Osthoff's release.[6] However, German government officials declined to comment on whether they paid a ransom for her release.[7]
Controversies
editIn her first interview after release, Osthoff appeared in a full niqab and told Al Jazeera that the kidnappers assured her she was safe and that they knew she was "Iraq's friend." She expressed her further comfort that she "knew [she] was not in the hands of criminals."[4][8]
While she was showering at the German embassy in Baghdad immediately after her release, officers from the BND found "several thousand dollars" rubberbanded to Osthoff. The serial numbers on the bills matched those on the money paid to secure her release.[8]
Osthoff claims that the money was given to her by her kidnappers as "compensation" for her ordeal and restitution for £9,500 that was stolen from her when she was kidnapped.[8]
Some believe that Germany traded the terrorist Mohammed Ali Hamadi, who was convicted of the murder of US Navy sailor Robert Stethem during the hijacking of TWA Flight 847, for Susanne Osthoff's release.[9] The German government has denied that her release was linked to Hamadi's.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Balter, Michael (5 November 2005). "German Archaeologist Abducted in Iraq".
- ^ "German Hostage's Passion Is Archeology in Iraq". DW. 30 November 2005.
- ^ "Iraq captors free German hostage". Al Jazeera. 19 December 2005.
- ^ a b c d "German hostage told she was safe as a Muslim". NBC News. 25 December 2005.
- ^ a b "Official: German hostage in Iraq released". NBC News. 18 December 2005.
- ^ "Germany Relieved by Freeing of Hostage, But Questions Remain". DW. 19 December 2005.
- ^ "Politicians Call for Inquiry Into Osthoff Ransom Allegations". DW. 22 January 2006.
- ^ a b c Connolly, Kate (24 January 2006). "German hostage had ransom money". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Germany Releases Hezbollah Hijacker Wanted by US | DW | 20.12.2005".
External links
edit
- 'No Rescue of German Hostage Imminent', Deutsche Welle, 6 December 2005
- 'Christians and Muslims pray for Iraq hostage', The Guardian, 12 December 2005
- 'German hostage in Iraq is free', Reuters, 18 December 2005
- ^ Freed German hostage says Iraq captors not criminals Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, 27 December 2005
- ^ Osthoff-Fahrer Komplize der Geiselnehmer?, Tagesschau 22 December 2005
- "Totaler Kontrollverlust", Der Spiegel, 1/2006, pp 92–95