Francis Adbabayi, an Israeli citizen abducted in Ethiopia three weeks ago, has been freed following a rescue operation by Ethiopian special forces. Initially, Jerusalem’s Foreign Ministry suspected that Adbabayi had faked his own abduction for ransom money, however, the investigation proved these suspicions incorrect.
Key Points:
- 79-year-old Israeli citizen, Francis Adbabayi, was freed from abduction in Ethiopia following an operation by Ethiopian special forces involving a pursuit and a shootout with his kidnappers near the country’s northwestern border.
- 2. The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem initially suspected Adbabayi had faked his own abduction for ransom, leading the Israel Police to open a fraud investigation, which was later proven incorrect.
- The abductors had demanded a ransom of 2.5 million Ethiopian birr (around $45,000) for Adbabayi’s release.
- Disappointed with the handling of the case by the Foreign Ministry, Adbabayi’s family enlisted the help of Knesset member and former Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, who utilized her contacts to engage Ethiopia’s special forces.
- Adbabayi was reunited with his two sons in Gondar, Ethiopia, and is expected to return to Israel shortly.
Source: https://www.jns.org/israel-news/ethiopian-jews/23/7/31/306627/
