2011 Timbuktu kidnapping

May 2023 2011 kidnapping by Al-Qaeda Stephen McGown, Johan Gustafsson, Sjaak Rijke South Africa (McGown) Sweden (Gustafsson)Netherlands (Rijke) Being kidnapped by AQIM militants Timbuktu three refers to three abductees, South African Stephen Malcolm McGown, Swede Johan Gustafsson, and Dutchman Sjaak Rijke, who were all kidnapped on 25 November 2011. A fourth German victim Martin Arker, was shot and killed when he refused to climb into the kidnappers' truck.http://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/sa-citizens-under-fire-in-hot-spots-1.1286613#.VRJXuI7sBsk SA citizens under fire in hot spots IOL 1 May 2012 25 March 2015 A unit of the Al-Qaeda's North African branch, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) abducted the three from a residence shortly after eating lunch at a restaurant in Timbuktu, Mali. Because McGown has dual citizenship, South African and British, the group offered a trade to the British Government for Abu Qatada who was to be deported from the UK to Jordan, where he had been convicted of involvement in militant plots. Following the kidnapping, several videos were released of the three, offered as proof of life.http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/French-Dutch-hostages-in-Mali-beg-for-help-20141118 French, Dutch hostages in Mali beg for help News24 18 November 2014 24 March 2015 Rijke was rescued by French forces in April 2015.Hinnant Lori French forces rescue Dutch hostage in Mali https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/french-forces-rescue-dutch-hostage-sjaak-rijke-detained-in-mali-since-2011-10158535.html# 10 March 2023 The Independent The Independent 6 April 2015 en Gustafsson was released in June 2017,http://www.expressen.se/kvallsposten/kidnappade-johan-gustafsson-frislappt-togs-av-al-qaida-2011/ Kidnappade Johan Gustafsson frisläppt – togs av al-Qaida 2011 Swedish Expressen 26 June 2017 Hannes Lundberg Andersson and McGown was released in July 2017.http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/sa-hostage-in-mali-released-20170803 SA hostage in Mali released 3 August 2017 Sjaak Rijke Sjaak Rijke (nl ɕaːk ˈrɛikə) is a Dutch national who has been held hostage by a faction of Al Qaeda in the Maghreb region in Mali since 25 November 2011 with Stephen Malcolm McGown from South Africa and Johan Gustafsson from Sweden. He was liberated by French special forces in the north of Mali on 6 April 2015. Abduction Rijke, who worked as a train driver in his native country of the Netherlands, was taken hostage in Timbuktu in northern Mali on 25 November 2011, together with McGown and Gustafsson. They were all in Mali as tourists, despite the recent unrest and insurgencies in the region. Rijke's wife managed to escape the attack by hiding from the perpetrators. A German tourist who refused to cooperate with the attackers was killed at the scene. Rijke, McGown, and Gustafsson were subsequently taken to an undisclosed hiding place. After his hostage-taking, the Government of the Netherlands issued negative travel advice for the northern part of Mali.http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/5009/Archief/article/detail/3053525/2011/11/28/Negatief-reisadvies-voor-deel-Mali-na-ontvoering.dhtml Negatief reisadvies voor deel Mali na ontvoering TROUW 28 November 2011 Aftermath In a video posted on YouTube on 12 July 2012, Rijke said he had been captured by Al Qaeda and that he was treated well.http://nos.nl/video/394710-sjaak-rijke-ik-word-goed-behandeld.html Sjaak Rijke: ik word goed behandeld nos.nl 13 July 2012 One month later, in August 2012, Arabic TV news broadcaster Al Jazeera broadcast a report in which Rijke and the other two hostages were featured, urging their respective governments to negotiate with Al Qaeda for their release.Afp Sapa 2012-08-22 Al-Jazeera airs video of South African hostage in Mali https://mg.co.za/news/africa/2012-08-22-al-jazeera-airs-video-of-south-african-hostage-in-mali/ 2026-10-01 Mail & Guardian en-ZA In September 2013, almost two years after the kidnapping, AQIM released a video in which Rijke called upon the Dutch government "not to forget about him".http://nos.nl/artikel/551932-ontvoerde-sjaak-rijke-in-video.html Ontvoerde Sjaak Rijke in video nos.nl 17 September 2013 The video was probably recorded in June 2013. It was the first sign of Rijke or any of the other hostages since French military actions in Mali in January 2013, when Islamist radicals had threatened to capture Mali's capital Bamako. On 21 August 2014, on social media, the case of Sjaak Rijke caught slight attention with the hashtag #FreeSjaak, commemorating 1000 days of captivity.http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1013/Buitenland/article/detail/3722291/2014/08/21/Sjaak-Rijke-al-1000-dagen-ontvoerd-door-Al-Qaeda.dhtml Sjaak Rijke al 1000 dagen ontvoerd door Al-Qaeda Marco Gerling AD In November 2014, AQIM released another video in which Rijke addresses the Dutch government and his family. He says he is in pain and in a difficult security situation and asks in an emotional way to please help him. The video was made on 26 September 2014, according to Rijke.http://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/binnenland/ontvoerde-nederlander-sjaak-rijke-help-me-alsjeblieft Ontvoerde Nederlander Sjaak Rijke: Help me, alsjeblieft RTL Nieuws 8 June 2017 29 November 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161129225838/http://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/binnenland/ontvoerde-nederlander-sjaak-rijke-help-me-alsjeblieft dead Rijke ultimately survived the kidnapping, having been rescued by soldiers of the BFST in April 2015. In late June 2017, Gustafsson was released and flown to Sweden. No details about the negotiations were made public at the time.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/26/swedish-man-johan-gustafsson-islamist-militants-released Swedish man kidnapped by Islamist militants in Mali released after six years Associated Press 26 June 2017 The Guardian 27 June 2017 In late July 2017, McGown was released and returned to South Africa.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-hostage-idUSKBN1AJ16M Al Qaeda releases South African kidnapped in Mali in 2011 3 August 2017 Reuters 2017-08-03 South African officials refused to comment on the terms of the negotiations, but The New York Times reported that the South African government paid €3.5 million (about $4.2 million) to McGown's captors using South African charity Gift of the Givers as an intermediary.https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/world/africa/mali-stephen-mcgown-south-africa-al-qaeda.html?nytmobile=0 South African Held by Al Qaeda in Mali Is Freed After 5 Years Callimachi Rukmini Chan Sewell The New York Times 3 August 2017 2017-08-03 BBC resumed experiences of Steven McGowns as a story.My life as a hostage of al-Qaeda https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/my_life_as_a_hostage_of_al_qaeda 2026-05-17 www.bbc.co.uk en-GB He found back to life as a keynote speaker.Home Stephen McGown International Keynote Speaker and Author https://www.stephenmcgown.com/ 2026-05-17 Stephen McGown en See also List of kidnappings List of solved missing person cases (2010s) References Category:2010s missing person cases Category:Terrorist incidents in Mali in 2011 Category:Formerly missing people Category:Kidnappings by Islamists Category:Kidnapping in the 2010s Category:Kidnappings in Mali Category:Missing person cases in Africa Category:November 2011 in Africa Category:Terrorist incidents attributed to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2011 Category:November 2011 crimes in Africa Category:Islamic terrorism in Mali Category:2010s in international relations Category:French involvement in the Mali War Kidnapping, 2011 Category:Hostage rescue operations Category:Arab Winter in Mali