Do we assume they were all grabbed while on the N1 highway?

It is also possible that anyone along the route who saw the southbound vehicle and knew one occupant was a foreigner could have called it in. This has happened before.

This is the particularly shocking bit - that it was apparently near Tam (has that been confirmed?).

The Spanish guy was liberated, I hear, by Tuareg-rebels in Mali. He was taken hostage by smugglers that tried to sell him, in vain

I also hear from Algeria: 'The Algerian state has recovered the Spanish tourist and he is now in his country'.

Seems it was actually the Azawad Liberation Front ('FLA'; rebels for an Azawad homeland rather than black-flag jihadists) who negotiated the liberation of Gilbert Giane Navarro near Indelimane deep in eastern Mali – 150km east of Gao, 850km SW of Tam and site of various jihadist ambushes over the years.
It may have been a chance grab by opportunistic Algerian smugglers looking to sell Navarro on, but the ABC report below has the FLA citing an unnamed 'transnational mafia' which sounds a bit more organised. You'd think JNIM, ISGS etc would have put up a fight to keep their latest hostage.

The location of the grab in Algeria is still unclear. As mentioned elsewhere, there are loads of people-smugglers boldly running up and down the TSH in Hiluxs, but you'd think they stick to the program.

https://abcnews.go.com/International...eria-117931744

As estebangc says below, El Pais gives another version with talk of selling on to ISGS prior to the claimed liberation.
https://elpais.com/espana/2025-01-21...el-sahara.html

Despite the fact that Spain usually pays ramsons, I feel all was too quick considering how slowly our authorities tend to react in this cases.


Very few details and coverage on the news in Spain. They all repeat that he was "abandoned (???) by the kidnappers so to be purchased by the Islamic State for the sum of 100 to 2500 million CF before being released ("abandonado por sus captores para ser comprado por Estado Islámico por entre 100 y 250 millones de francos CFA (entre 150.000 euros y 380.000 euros) antes de ser rescatado).


The way it is written in several media it is deliberately as unclear as it can be, even for a Spanish native.


Quite different from "Azawad Liberation Front located Navarro and his kidnappers near the town of Indelimane in Mali's eastern region of Menaka. After surrounding the kidnappers, the rebel fighters were able to negotiate the Spanish man's release on Monday".

I read somewhere he may have been South American.
Yes, it sounds way too quick for any ransom payment.

Good propaganda for FLA (if that version is true) and good outcome for Algeria and the hostage.

Good news, he has been liberated.
Sorry for the wrong information I shared, I tried to share with you information from Algerians (which were not confirmed at the time) in order to keep you updated.
The guy is a real spaniard and has no long hairbeer.

Anyways, Happy that he has been saved through an Algerian mediation.

And here is a video of him with Algerian officials

The (former) hostage is a Spanish Archeology University Professor.


Spanish-Algerian relations have not been at its best recently, but CNI (Spanish Intel. Serv.), Algerians and FLA have actively collaborated for such a quick solution and the liberation, each one for a good reason. I'd say that is good news.

Just been shared an article which shows that the Spanish gentleman was taken from Assekrem, no less.

https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/202501...l-alg%C3%A9rie

Slightly surpised/disappointed that the UK FCO advice hasn't been updated at all with this development. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/algeria

I wouldn't be too surprised Ed, the UK FCO have taken almost a month to update the travel advice for the new Mauritanian Visa requirements

Says "zone Assekrem" so maybe not exactly there. But pretty wild idea to take someone from the mountaintop.
Still a rare occurence these days.
When we were in Tamanrasset 2009 our guide made jokes about planning our kidnap when I asked who he was talking to. I wasnt entertained...
That made me go look for a better guide.
Said touareg actually went to jail later for attempting a kidnapping.
His name was Rasta, and his cohort Tahar.

Earlier this month I thought it was odd, when our gendarmerie escort from In Salah ended at In Amguel after a long day but 135km north of Tamanrasset, our destination. If that was a widely known pattern, it does make you wonder.

Quite. There are a lot of holes in the net, that's for sure as I and others have pointed out here.

I do wonder though, given that the guy was taken by a local group and then attempted to be passed on, how that can realistically be policed, beyond insisting that every foreigner has an escort, no exceptions?

Then again, maybe I've just answered my own question.

I'm staying central next week so unlikely to find much more out, but will share if I do.

Ed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTgf5VSwXiY


Recently published documentary about the situation in Malis Dogon country and Mauritanias military efforts to maintain security within their borders.

Someone just back from Algeria tells me:

Re the [January 2025] kidnapping. Both the guide and the guy at the [Assekrem] refuge say the Spanish guy was kidnapped south of Tam, the name is similar to - but shorter than Tamanrasset, Tangset maybe? Not sure.

Can't think where that can be, but once out there a whole lot easier to bomb cross country to Mali. Anyway, if true, reassuring it was not Assekrem.