Italy denies reports of €13mn ransom paid to Daesh

By Seif al-Trabulsi

TRIPOLI

The head of Libya’s intelligence service on Monday denied media reports that a hefty ransom was paid earlier this year to free two Italian hostages abducted by the Daesh terrorist group.

The denial comes after Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that Rome had paid €13 million ($14.5 million) in March to secure the two hostages’ release.

The pair was among four Italians abducted last year by Daesh militants near an oil and gas plant outside Libya’s northwestern city of Sabratha, located some 50 miles west of Tripoli.

According to subsequent reports, two of the hostages were later freed by Libyan security forces, while the remaining two were killed by Daesh militants.

In a Monday statement, Libyan intelligence chief Mustafa Nuh described the newspaper’s claims that the two Italians were freed in return for a ransom as "groundless".

"The two hostages were freed as a result of a [security] operation," he said.

He went on to assert that Italian-Libyan intelligence cooperation was vital to the fight against terrorism in Libya and Europe.

Libya has remained in a state of turmoil since 2011, when a bloody uprising ended with the ouster and death of longtime strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

In the five years since the uprising, Libya has been dogged by political instability and chaos that have allowed Daesh to establish a significant presence in the North African county.