AFP correspondent kidnapped in Ingushetia Timur Aliyev, North Caucasus – A correspondent for the Agence France-Press news agency (AFP), Ali Astamirov, was kidnapped in Ingushetia on June 4.
The incident took place at about 8 p.m. at a car wash in the village of Altiyevo on the outskirts of the town of Nazran. Three unknown men in a white car drove up to Astamirov, shoved him into the car and headed for an unknown location. The whole scene was witnessed by a reporter for the Chechen desk of Radio Liberty's North Caucasus Languages Service, Aslanbek Dadayev, who had been with Ali at the time.
Astamirov, a Chechen by nationality, had earlier expressed his concerns about being followed, as he had suspected someone was shadowing him and he even repeatedly noticed the same car behind him when driving his vehicle.
(P/A,T) |
