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October 11th, 2011 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Updated
Nigel Brennan was held captive in Somalia for 15 months before eventually being freed
An Australian photojournalist who was kidnapped in Somalia has criticised the handling of his case at a Senate inquiry into how the Federal Government deals with international kidnapping cases.
Nigel Brennan was held captive in Somalia for 15 months before eventually being freed in 2009.
Mr Brennan says the Government’s poor handling of his situation probably prolonged his detention and increased the final cost of the ransom.
Mr Brennan was released in November 2009 – four months after his family chose to cut all ties with the government in the negotiation with his captors and paid $US658,000 ($660,576) in ransom for him and a Canadian colleague.
He says at the time he was first taken, the average land-based kidnapping lasted an estimated three months, with the average cost in Somalia being $54,000.
He says he wants to know why the Government dealt with money and talked to the kidnappers about paying a ransom for almost a year if it does not pay, negotiate or facilitate a ransom.
Mr Brennan criticised then foreign affairs minister Stephen Smith’s role in the case.
“He was tardy and eventually dishonest … and he seems to think that he’s done nothing wrong,” he said.
A spokesman for Mr Smith says the now Defence Minister absolutely rejects the claims made by Mr Brennan and he will await the findings of the Senate inquiry.
Mr Brennan also pointed the finger at then-prime minister Kevin Rudd for being “less than involved” in the process.
He said his family were completely left alone and did not once get contacted by Mr Rudd.
He also says the Federal Government should waive his $100,000 debt.
He says the ordeal left him and his family with a debt totalling more than $600,000.
“I currently owe the Australian Government $100,000,” he said.
“We have been told by a number of DFAT personnel that they believe that they handled the case incorrectly.
“I’m not going to name those people, but if that’s the way DFAT feel off the record, I don’t see why I should be forced to pay that money back.”
Mr Brennan also criticised the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for having transferred the family’s landline to its Canberra headquarters for what it said was 24/7 monitoring, only to miss two calls Mr Brennan made while a gun was held to his head.
AFP assistant commissioner Ramzi Jabhour told the inquiry there was an explanation for the missed calls, and it was not simply that the phones were unmanned.
Mr Jabhour says authorities try to learn from past experiences.
“We continually seek to improve our practices,” he said, adding that he cannot comment publicly on individual cases.
The Senate committee is due to report back by November 24.
ABC/AAP
law-crime-and-justice,
government-and-politics,
federal-government,
unrest-conflict-and-war,
australia,
somalia
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