3 nabbed over fake kidnapping that turned real

ROME: Three men have been arrested for masterminding the kidnapping of two Italians who were held captive in Syria for three years, Italian police said on Tuesday.

Over the course of 2016, the three who were arrested had convinced two businessmen from the area to travel to Turkey.

One of the two, Alessandro Sandrini, was convinced to go with the offer of faking his own kidnapping during the trip, and earn ransom money.

The other businessman, Sergio Zanotti, made the journey after being promised a business deal involving Iraqi currency.

Once in Turkey, both businessmen were captured for real near the Syrian border and taken to Syria, where they were held captive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group.

According to a police statement, the three men who were arrested had associates in Turkey who carried out the kidnapping and handed the two Italians over to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Media reports, which quoted investigative sources, said Sandrini was charged for fraud and simulating a crime, as part of the same probe that led to Tuesday’s arrests.