Two French jailed in kidnapping and torture case

Two Frenchmen have been detained pretrial in Malaga, southern Spain, on suspicion of kidnapping and torturing a Moroccan and cutting off part of his ear for ransom, Spanish police announced Thursday.

The two men, aged 39 and 43, were arrested in Spain and France following an investigation that lasted several months, police said in a news release. They were accused of kidnapping, torture and possession of weapons of war.

They kidnapped and tortured a man for 11 days

According to the press release, the two Frenchmen kidnapped a Moroccan national for 11 days in April 2023 on a farm in Torrox, a village on the Costa del Sol in the province of Malaga, in order to demand a ransom of 1.4 million euros from his family.

“During his captivity, they cut off part of his ear,” “beat him several times,” “even deprived him of food,” gave him water only “on rare occasions,” and then released him to a secluded part of the district, detailed police.

Authorities tracked down the suspect in the kidnapping and arrested him at a seaside station on the Costa del Sol, according to the victim’s family, who received a video showing the victim’s mouth gagged, hands and feet bound with cables and his face covered in bruises.

A suspect was arrested in France

Police found an AK47 assault rifle, three pistols and a large amount of ammunition in his home.

The second suspect, considered the instigator of the kidnapping, was arrested in Paris on April 30, the police said in a press release. He is the subject of an arrest warrant and extradition request issued by a Spanish court.

The Costa del Sol, famous for its superb beaches and luxurious seaside resorts, is popular with international drug traffickers and has been frequently hit by settler raids in recent years, which worries authorities.