Spain paid 7 million euros for Al Qaeda hostages: report

The Spanish government paid out nearly 7 million euros ($8.8 million) to obtain the release of three Spanish aid workers held by Al Qaeda's North African affiliate, El Mundo reported Tuesday.

According to the newspaper, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) had demanded 3.8 million euros ($4.8 million) in return for the three hostages seized in Mauritania in November and later held in Mali.

Madrid paid the demand in January, but only 1.5 million euros ($1.9 million) eventually reached the kidnappers, with the rest siphoned off by intermediaries, the paper reported.

The Spanish government stumped up further payments of 3 million euros ($3.8 million) in April and May, 2.3 million ($2.9 million) of which went to the kidnappers to meet their full demand, for a total of 3.8 million euros, while intermediaries took a 770,000 euros ($970,970) slice, it added.

A Malian negotiator involved in their release told AFP that, overall, about 8 million euros ($10.1 million) of ransom were paid.

The Spanish government strongly denied that a ransom had been paid following the release of Alicia Gamez in May.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, confirming the release of Albert Vilalta and Roque Pascual late Monday, made no mention of any payment.

Zapatero said only that the government had "stepped up the activities of its political, diplomatic and intelligence services to secure their releases."

AQIM said in a statement following the latest release that most of its demands had been met, including the liberation of the mastermind of the kidnapping, Malian national Omar Sid'Ahmed Ould Hamma.

Agencies