Kidnap ransom will not be paid

The Government and the authorities in Iran have indicated they will not pay any ransom to the Iranian drugs smugglers suspected of kidnapping an Irish man and two Germans 10 days ago.

A source within the Department of Foreign Affairs last night told The Irish Times that paying a ransom to kidnappers for the safe return of an Irish national was "not something that has arisen before".

"There is not really a policy on this but it's something we haven't done and wouldn't do," the source said.

Mr Aidan James Leahy (30s), was kidnapped last Monday week while on a cycling holiday in Iran. Two Germans he was travelling with were also taken.

They were abducted near the city of Zahedan, capital of the Sistan-Baluchestan province, close to Iran's borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mr Leahy, who is London-based, was understood to be cycling from Turkey to India. Yesterday the Iranian authorities made it clear they would not comply with demands from the kidnappers for a €5 million ransom. They urged Germany and Ireland to join their hard-line stance.

It is believed the kidnappers are trying to recoup money lost arising from drug seizures in Iran in recent months.

Asked by reporters yesterday whether Iran had any intention of paying, the Interior Minister, Mr Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari, replied: "Not at all".

Intelligence Minister, Mr Ali Yunesi, similarly urged the Irish and German governments not to "give any concession or money to the bandits and smugglers for the release of hostages".

"Sooner or later the smugglers have to hand over the tourists to the officials," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

The Iranian Ministry for the Interior, which is dealing with the incident, said telephone calls from the kidnappers could have come from abroad, suggesting a cross-border gangster network.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has been in touch with Mr Leahy's family and is offering them consular assistance. They are not releasing his address or where his family are from.

The German government has refused to comment on whether it has paid ransoms in the past. It has also declined to disclose the identity of the two kidnap victims travelling with Mr Leahy.

Rumours that Germany paid ransoms in the past for the release of hostages led to some concern that German tourists may be seen as lucrative targets by potential kidnappers.

German tourists holidaying in remote locations have been involved in several kidnappings in recent years, including Algeria, Egypt and Colombia.