Kidnapping of René Bräunlich and Thomas Nitzschke
René Bräunlich (born February 12, 1974 ) and Thomas Nitzschke (born June 6, 1977 ) are two German engineers from Leipzig who were kidnapped in Iraq on January 24, 2006 and released on May 2, 2006 after 99 days. Before that, the kidnapping of Susanne Osthoff was the last known case of the kidnapping of a German civilian in Iraq.
hostage taking
kidnapping
The two engineers from a Saxon plant manufacturer from Leipzig arrived in Iraq on January 22nd, 2006, where they only wanted to stay for a few days.
On January 24th, René Bräunlich and Thomas Nitzschke were kidnapped in the Iraqi city of Baiji, 180 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad . On behalf of their company, they had traveled to the war-torn country to set up and hand over a nitrogen shielding gas system in an oil refinery .
On January 29, the kidnappers' first video message appeared. They threatened to behead the abductees within 72 hours. They demanded that the German embassy in Baghdad be closed and that German companies stop their activities in Iraq. On the wall was a poster with the Arabic inscription "Kataib Ansar al-Tawhid wa al-Sunna" ( Brigades of the followers of the Tawheed and the Sunna ).
After the hostages' mothers made an appeal on January 31 to ask the hostage-takers to release their sons, it was broadcast on the Arab television station Al-Jazeera , among others . The two men “never wanted to harm Iraq and would have traveled to the country without political motives”.
In the roughly ten-minute fourth video, which was distributed on an Islamist website on April 9, 2006, Thomas Nitzschke said:
- “We have been trapped here for over 60 days now. We are at the end of our nerves. Please help us. We can't take it any longer. Please help us."
According to some media reports, the Federal Foreign Office had a longer video in which the kidnappers issued another ultimatum and called for the release of Iraqi prisoners held by US forces under the threat of killing the two hostages . In addition, the above-mentioned Arabic inscription should be in the background, supplemented by “ In the name of God the Most Merciful ” .
Shortly after the kidnapping and later at regular intervals, vigils were held for the two kidnapped people at the Nikolaikirche in the hometown of the two kidnapped people . The extent to which the general public improved or worsened the chances of the abductees and whether they even provoked further kidnappings was the subject of public discussion after this kidnapping.
release
René Bräunlich and Thomas Nitzschke were released on May 2, 2006 and landed on the military section of Berlin-Tegel Airport the following afternoon . In a short statement, they thanked their families, the crisis team and the Federal Foreign Office.
swell
- ↑ wsws.org: German engineers kidnapped in Iraq 11 February 2006 at
- ↑ focus.de: Iraq hostages: Steinmeier "shocked" via video , February 1, 2006
- ↑ focus.de: "Shocking Pictures" hostage video surfaced , January 27, 2006
- ↑ dw-world.de: Mothers of the two Iraqi hostages appeal on television , February 2, 2006
- ↑ mdr.de: Rene Bräunlich and Thomas Nitzschke are free ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , May 2, 2006
- ↑ dw-world.de: German hostages in Iraq in Berlin arrived , May 3, 2006
