Two arrests foil kidnap demands
Two suspects were arrested, after a high-speed chase in Athens, on suspicion of kidnapping at gunpoint a 55-year-old man in the northern suburb of Halandri and then demanding a 60,000-euro ransom from his son for his release, police said late on Saturday. The two men, who have not been named, were caught after officers raided a house in the northern suburb of Nea Philadelphia. The two suspects sped off and were chased for several kilometers by police before being caught in Schisto. Officers said the two men admitted to kidnapping the man, whose name was also not released. They said they had caught a taxi to drive up to their victim’s car and then blocked it off at gunpoint. It was not clear if they had threatened the cab driver. They then handcuffed their victim and put a hood over his head before taking him to their hideaway. The pair, aged 36 and 49, said they had been promised a cut of 15,000 euros from a third man for carrying out the kidnapping and collecting the 60,000-euro ransom. Police were last night still hunting for a third suspect.
