Two tourists from Spain have been kidnapped in northern Colombia since Friday, the Spanish government said Tuesday.
Spain’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Tuesday confirmed reports made in Spanish media that two Spanish nationals have been kidnapped since Friday while traveling along the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
Spanish news site Efe on Tuesday reported they had received a call from police sources in Colombia, revealing the details of the kidnapping. According to Efe, they were informed the kidnappers had identified themselves as members of Colombia’s largest rebel group, the FARC, and have already demanded a ransom.
However, the sources providing the information went on to question this claim, publishing that “it could be the 58th Front of the FARC” while recalling that asking for a ransom the day after a kidnapping does not fall within the typical modus operandi of the rebel group.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Madrid told Colombia Reports that while they could confirm the reports that two Spanish nationals have been kidnapped, protocols prevent the institution from giving out any more information at this stage.
The office stated however that since they were made aware of the situation the Spanish government has been in “constant contact with national authorities in Colombia and the families of the kidnap victims.”
Leading Colombian newspaper El Tiempo identified the tourists as Angel Fernandez and Maria Concepcion Marlaska, who is reportedly a relation of a prominent Spanish judge. According to the daily, the car in which the pair were traveling was found some 50 miles from the town of Uribia, with a broken window. Reports suggested the tourists were headed for the tourist destination El Cabo de la Vela before the kidnapping took place.
However official sources are yet to confirm the identities of the kidnapped and police in La Guajira were unavailable for comment.
Location of the alleged kidnapping
Sources
- Dos turistas españoles están secuestrados desde el viernes en Colombia (Efe)
- Interview with the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperacion
- Dos turistas españoles fueron secuestrados en La Guajira (El Tiempo)
- Una familiar del juez Marlaska y otro español, secuestrados en Colombia (El Pais)
- Investigan secuestro de dos turistas españoles en La Guajira (El Espectador)