Romanians seek man who guided hostage journalists

A court in the Romanian capital Bucharest has issued an arrest warrant on terrorism charges for an Iraqi-American citizen who translated for three Romanian journalists who were held hostage in Iraq for nearly two months.

Prosecutors charged Mohammed Monaf in absentia, alongside his Syrian-born business partner in Romania, Omar Hayssam, on terrorism charges in a closed-court session. No details on the charges were immediately available.

The journalists were freed on Sunday in Baghdad after spending 55 days in captivity. Monaf was reported to have been held with them and was seen with them in videotapes released by the captors.

The journalists, Prima TV reporter Marie Jeanne Ion, her cameraman Sorin Miscoci and newspaper reporter Ovidiu Ohanesian returned to Romania on Monday.

Monaf was transferred to US custody in Baghdad and was held for questioning regarding information about “imminent attacks” on coalition forces in Iraq, the US embassy in Bucharest has said.

Hayssam, a wealthy businessman, had claimed after the journalists’ kidnapping that he received a phone call from the kidnappers demanding £2.2 million in exchange for their freedom.

He was later arrested on tax evasion and fraud in an unrelated case.

After their return to Romania, the journalists were kept in medical quarantine for three days. They were reported to have been debriefed and were told not to talk to the media. They returned to their homes and families on Thursday, without making press statements.

Cameraman Miscoci told reporters that the three would hold a press conference in the following days.

“I am happy to be home,” he said.