Fears heighten for kidnapped Irish tourist

FEARS have heightened for the safety of kidnapped Irish tourist Aidan Leahy who went missing in the region of Iran devastated by yesterday’s earthquake.

Nothing has been heard directly from him or his two German travelling companions since they were seized by suspected drug smugglers near Nostrat Abad on the road between Zahedan and Bam, the epicentre of the quake, on December 8.

The man’s anxious family are praying the disaster may be a blessing in disguise for him. If he has survived the earthquake unscathed, the influx of rescue workers, relief teams and government officials into the region could flush out his captors. But officials working for his release are also worried that the tenuous communications links that existed with the kidnap gang may be lost in the confusion and destruction of roads, power lines and cables.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday there was a lot of concern for Mr Leahy whose release with the other captives was offered by the kidnappers in return for a €5 million ransom.

“We have been in touch with our embassy in Tehran and they are in close contact with the Iranian authorities but we have had no further information on him. We are concerned for his safety,” she said.

Mr Leahy, in his 30s, was living in England before setting out on a backpacking trek across Iran and was believed to have been travelling by bicycle with two German cyclists when the kidnappers struck.

Their kidnap, and particularly the size of the ransom, was thought to be in retaliation for a police raid on a drugs den which recovered a consignment of drugs worth about €5m. The Tehran government quickly intervened and initial indications were that the release of the three would be successfully negotiated, but a December 17 statement from an official predicting an early resolution appears to have been premature. Irish Red Cross chairman David Andrews also intervened and received assurances from the Iranian ambassador that the Irish and German embassies in Tehran would be given every assistance in their efforts to secure the men’s release. A Red Cross spokeswoman said last night there had been no further news.

Mr Leahy’s family have requested privacy and the Department of Foreign Affairs has declined to release his home town or address.