24 people who reportedly had been kidnapped Friday in the Pacific waters just off the southwest-Colombian coast have been released, authorities said Saturday.
The release of the local farmers and fishermen was announced by Fabio Trujillo, the Government Secretary of the Nariño department were the mass kidnapping had taken place.
However, according to Trujillo the armed men weren’t after kidnapping the group, but stealing the boat and fisherman’s equipment on the boat.
Authorities initially said that two men had been left behind by the kidnappers, but according to Trujillo, these two men have now been arrested as they were apparently part of the group of thieves and keeping an eye on the boat.
Initially, the Navy accused the FARC, one of the illegal groups active in the area, of kidnapping the passengers. But on Saturday, Admiral Hernando Wills said nothing about the identity of the group of armed men.
It is the second time in two months an armed group kidnapped a large group traveling by boat; 20 people were briefly held by an armed group on July 12. The majority of these victims were also released hours shortly after being kidnapped.
