'I was in survival overdrive': victim
On Tuesday it was the 25-year-old kidnapping victim’s turn to tell his version of events in the abduction drama which took place in Uppsala at the end of last year.
”I panicked because I thought I was going to be killed”, the 25-year-old victim said, according to news agency TT.
The 25-year-old’s voice broke a little when he told his story and he went temporarily quiet when he mentions his mortal fear.
The defendants, listening from the other side of the court room, smiled every now and again as he recounted the events.
According to the man, the only one of the defendants that he knew was the woman, whom he knew from high school.
She had contacted him through Facebook and they had met up. The woman came to his apartment, bringing a pie with her.
”She gave me three quarters of the pie which she put taco salsa on,” said the 25-year-old.
He stated that he remembered that it tasted bitter.
“She said ‘it is a special spice that my mum has brought from Spain’,” the man told the court.
However, wanting to be polite, he ate the pie while they both watched TV and then he fell asleep. He later woke up by someone beating him. The 25-year-old was carried to a car which then drove off. His kidnappers had taped down his arms, legs, shoulders, head and mouth.
”I remember that I found it hard to breathe because of the tape,” said the 25-year-old.
One of the kidnappers pretended to be Russian and told his victim that his abduction is revenge for a vendetta between the man’s uncle and a Russian mafioso.
“It was a completely bizarre situation,” said the 25-year-old.
While in the car he panicked completely, utterly sure that he was going to get killed. He was told that the house in northern Sweden, which he was subsequently taken to, was located on the Kola peninsula in northern Russia.
“I went into some sort of survival overdrive,” said the man.
If the kidnapping failed, the uncle and his entire family would be killed, the kidnappers told him. They demanded his passwords to his Facebook account and his mobile phone.
From these they were planning to send messages that would lead family and friends to believe that he had got cold feet over his wedding, had religious doubts and had therefore travelled to Israel.
The prosecutor had previously mentioned these posts being uploaded on the victim's page.
TT/The Local/rm
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”I panicked because I thought I was going to be killed”, the 25-year-old victim said, according to news agency TT.
The 25-year-old’s voice broke a little when he told his story and he went temporarily quiet when he mentions his mortal fear.
The defendants, listening from the other side of the court room, smiled every now and again as he recounted the events.
According to the man, the only one of the defendants that he knew was the woman, whom he knew from high school.
She had contacted him through Facebook and they had met up. The woman came to his apartment, bringing a pie with her.
”She gave me three quarters of the pie which she put taco salsa on,” said the 25-year-old.
He stated that he remembered that it tasted bitter.
“She said ‘it is a special spice that my mum has brought from Spain’,” the man told the court.
However, wanting to be polite, he ate the pie while they both watched TV and then he fell asleep. He later woke up by someone beating him. The 25-year-old was carried to a car which then drove off. His kidnappers had taped down his arms, legs, shoulders, head and mouth.
”I remember that I found it hard to breathe because of the tape,” said the 25-year-old.
One of the kidnappers pretended to be Russian and told his victim that his abduction is revenge for a vendetta between the man’s uncle and a Russian mafioso.
“It was a completely bizarre situation,” said the 25-year-old.
While in the car he panicked completely, utterly sure that he was going to get killed. He was told that the house in northern Sweden, which he was subsequently taken to, was located on the Kola peninsula in northern Russia.
“I went into some sort of survival overdrive,” said the man.
If the kidnapping failed, the uncle and his entire family would be killed, the kidnappers told him. They demanded his passwords to his Facebook account and his mobile phone.
From these they were planning to send messages that would lead family and friends to believe that he had got cold feet over his wedding, had religious doubts and had therefore travelled to Israel.
The prosecutor had previously mentioned these posts being uploaded on the victim's page.
TT/The Local/rm
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