Sucumbios Ecuador: Austrian National Kidnapped, rescued by special unit

salzburg24.at (MACHINE TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN)reported Eight long days, the Austrian native Johannes Wagenknecht was kidnapped in Ecuador and held as a hostage. 350,000 dollars of ransom should demanded in exchange for his life. On Sunday came the relieving news: He was freed from a special unit (Dinased). “I have been given a new life”, says Wagenknecht.

In Ecuador, on Saturday the Salzburg resident in South America, after eight days of hostage in the jungle, was slightly injured by a special police unit. The coffee merchant Johannes Wagenknecht (56) had been kidnapped more than a week ago by a plantage in the province of Sucumbios in the border area to Colombia and was captured in a hardly accessible cave in the Amazon region.

350,000 dollar ransom for Salzburg required

Foreign Minister Thomas Schnöll confirmed on Monday against the APA corresponding media reports. The hijackers of the native Pinzgauer – the man lives in Colombia today – are said to have demanded a ransom of 350,000 dollars (around 320,000 euros) for the release, according to Ecuadorian police.

FROM THE VICTIM:
A special unit of the Ecuadorian police released me yesterday morning from a week of hostage in the jungle.
I thank the Special Unit for Action super-professional, my beloved Petra have been praying for their perseverance and resilience, the support of my children and all those who have pushed me luck, for me and sent me strength!
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Special unit freed Salzburg

Using informants, the investigators were able to investigate the suspected whereabouts of the gang and their hostage. A special unit then set off and hit the middle of the night in the pouring rain, the police reported at a press conference. The armed hijackers – from Ecuador and Colombia – were arrested. They were criminals, not guerrillas from Colombia, the investigators said.

Wagenknecht: “protective gel more professional than kidnapper”

Ecuadorian Interior Minister Jose Serrano Salgado posted photos of the rescue mission on his Twitter page showing heavily armed members of the special unit with the rescued Austrian. Wagenknecht himself thanked on his Facebook page on Sunday the special unit “for the super-professional action” and his family for their endurance and support. At the same time he showed himself confident that he and his wife will be able to digest the shock well. His wife’s decision to call the police had been absolutely right. And: “My protective gels are more professional than my kidnappers. 😉 “He may have suffered in the incident slight head injuries, is principally however well. “I feel very well – I’ve got a new life,” he wrote on Facebook.

Johannes Wagenknecht was already in the years 1990 to 1993 together with his family in development aid in Ecuador and had in recent years, the small coffee trade Kanwan constructed. Read Article

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