TIRANA, June 29 – The fate of an Albanian fisherman kidnapped by an Egyptian citizen ten days ago remains unknown even after hijacker’s arrest. The à‡elepia fishing vessel with Albanian captain, Dhimiter Malta, 54, and sailor, Luan Mema, 26, on board was hijacked by Egyptian Adel Sallam on June 21 over a Euro 70,000 ransom.
Sallam was arrested in Alexandria few days ago and he has been questioned by local investigators. He gave two contradictory statements regarding the fate of the Albanian captain. At first the Egyptian captor told investigators that he had freed the Albanian citizen four days before and afterwards he claimed to have thrown him in the sea. Prosecutors said that their Egyptian counterparts are working hard to find the location of the Albanian captain. “We have our own doubts on the statement that Sallam has thrown Dhimiter Malta into the sea,” they said.
On Wednesday, Egyptian authorities managed to free sailor Luan Mema. He has been offered assistance by the Albanian Embassy in Egypt and is expected to arrive home soon.
Adel Sallam had regular working documents in Albania. He was involved in the fishing business. Earlier this week, the Egyptian citizen contacted the owner of “Cepelia 2” fishing vessel and demanded 70,000 euros to return the boat to port and the two Albanians in the board as well. He previously claimed that the owner of the boat owed him the money but the vessel’s owner, dismissed such claims. Sallam also sent the owner pictures of the two Albanians tied up in chains. While one sailor has been released investigations into the whereabouts of the captain continue.
