'We never knew our kidnappers' - Leahy

An Irishman kidnapped in south-eastern Iran said today he and his two fellow captives never knew where they were or who was holding them.

Interviewed by the official Islamic Republic News Agency, Aidan Leahy said he and Germans David Storm and Oliver Brug were blindfolded by their kidnappers and driven across a desert to a building where they were kept in one room.

“We were never sure where we were. We were told many stories --Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran,” said Leahy.

The kidnappers seized the three men on December 2 as they cycled near Nosrat Abad in Sistan-Baluchistan province.

Iranian authorities have said the kidnappers were drug smugglers who demanded a €5.7m ransom.

The hostages were released yesterday, with Iranian officials saying that no ransom had been paid.

Leahy said the kidnapping put him and his companions under a lot of mental pressure, but they were not physically harmed. “We were treated very well by our captors,” he told IRNA.

“They said they were Talibans linked to al Qaida,” Leahy said, referring to the ousted regime in Afghanistan and the terror group led by Osama bin Laden. “They tried to confuse us. We were never sure who they were.”

Leahy said he did not know what triggered their release, but they were taken by car – blindfolded again – and handed over to Iranian police.

Leahy thanked the Iranian government and the Irish and German embassies in Tehran for securing their release.