Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07CAIRO171
2007-01-24 05:01:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Cairo
Cable title:
IRAQ: EGYPTIAN EMBASSY EMPLOYEE KIDNAPPED
how-toVZCZCXYZ0001 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHEG #0171 0240501 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 240501Z JAN 07 FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO TO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD IMMEDIATE 0121 RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3290 INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 1522 RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT 0273
UNCLAS CAIRO 000171
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM EG IZ
SUBJECT: IRAQ: EGYPTIAN EMBASSY EMPLOYEE KIDNAPPED
Sensitive but unclassified. Please handle accordingly.
(SBU) Wire services reported on January 23 that an Egyptian
Embassy employee in Baghdad was kidnapped. MFA Spokesman and
Iraq Specialist Alaa Hadidi confirmed to poloff the veracity
of the reports, and said the person was an Egyptian citizen
employed by the embassy who was kidnapped mid-day on January
22 at a bank close to the Egyptian mission building. The
Egyptian's name is Nabil Mohamed Abu Al Ma,ati. Hadidi said
that Ma'ati left the Egyptian Embassy with a driver, went to
a bank close to the Embassy, and never came outside. The
Embassy later received a phone call from Ma,ati,s cell
phone shortly after his disappearance, demanding ransom for
Ma'ati's safe return. Hadidi had no other details to provide
on the kidnapping, but offered the name of a contact at the
Egyptian Embassy in Bagdad: Mohsen Abdel Aziz Mohamed (no
phone number). (Note: Egypt has maintained only a skeleton
staff at its property in Baghdad, following the June 2005
kidnapping and murder of its Charge d'Affairs Ihab El Sherif.
End note.)
RICCIARDONE