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Polish journalist kidnapped for ransom?

PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle 26.07.2013 09:04
A witness to the kidnapping of a Polish photojournalist in Syria says the hostage taking is probably an attempt to extort money through a random payment.

“This incident is related to money,” Mohamed al-Chalid told the Gazeta Wyborcza daily, after Marcin Suder, who works for the Studio Melon photo agency based in the Polish capital was taken hostage by armed Islamist militants in the rebel-held town of Saraqeb, Idlib province.

Suder – known for volunteering for the most dangerous jobs in the world’s hot spots – was at the offices of an opposition group when armed men raided the building, stole money and computers and kidnapped the photographer.

“They stole everything: laptops, mobile phones, camcorders, cameras, cash,” says Mohamed al-Chalid, who was at the opposition rebel office at the time of the kidnapping.

According to the UN, the civil war between a variety of secular and religious groups against the President Bashar al-Assad regime has killed around 100,000 people, with displaced refugees amounting to 2 million.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Syria is currently the most dangerous place for journalists to work in the world. (pg)

tags: Syria
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