A turkish businessman, Kahraman Sadikoglu, has been kidnapped by terrorists in Iraq. The terrorist group holding him has demanded $25 million in ransom for his release. Sadikoglu, one of the richest businessmen in Turkey, was kidnapped along with a bodyguard, a driver and a boat captain in the port city of Umm Qasr.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
A video of Mr Sadikoglu showed him being questioned by unseen kidnappers.
"A group abducted us four or five days ago saying we did something wrong. They're investigating, but also look after us very well," Mr Sadikoglu said.
Mr Sadikoglu is head of Dubai-based International Marine Contractors which last year won a 92 million UAE dirham ($US25 million) contract to remove 19 sunken ships from Umm Qasr.
"We brought food to this country, we enabled the delivery of food. We fed many hungry people. That is what we did. If this is a crime, then we are ready to be punished," he said.
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His family contacted the Turkish Foreign Ministry saying the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of $US25 million.
I have not been able to find this alleged video mentioned in the story above. If I do I will post it. Mr. Sadikoglu sounds like a pretty fiesty gentleman to me and I hope his release is secured along with the others kidnapped with him.
Other Commentary:
In The Bullpen
The Command Post
I know this gentleman very well, and i believe that this problem stems from Dubai, where he has had a lot of problems. He is a fantastic man, and unfortunatly he has been taken for a tough ride in the UAE by people better remained unnamed. They do however have the power to carry this of, and what better way to do it then in the name of terrorism
Posted by: Nina on January 24, 2005 08:05 AM
Maybe mr Sadikoglu isn´t what he seems. He is a shrewd businessman who wouldn´t let a chance pass if he could cheat his business partner. In the mid 80s he ran a one ship operation from a London office. This ship m/v. Nicola Jill, regularly called at Dutch ports where I my company was the appointed ship-supplier. He never paid his bills in the agreed time and finally begged me to have a little more patience and he would settle all his debts. However he had never the intention to pay, from Holland the vessel saild for Turkey and was scrapped at his own Tuzla yard. I never heard from him again, only felt the pain for loosing a substantial amount of money. Thank you karahman, perhaps you have paid the price for being a cheat.
Posted by: John Angelos on February 28, 2013 08:05 PM
