AMSTERDAM—Three Dutch marines were kidnapped by pro-Moammar Gadhafi forces in the Libyan town of Sirte.
The marines were reportedly on a mission to rescue a Dutch national from the Libyan territory.
The helicopter and its crew departed from a Dutch frigate off the coast of Libya. While landing, the three-man crew and helicopter were taken over by pro-Gadhafi troops. The marines are currently being held in custody.
The Dutch civilian who the marines were attempting to evacuate was handed over to the Dutch Embassy in Libya after successful negotiations by pro-Gadhafi forces, and has since been allowed to leave the country.
Libyan state television showed on Thursday footage of the captured helicopter.
Pointing to the weapons that were onboard the helicopter, the television anchor said, “According to the channel al-Arabiya, this was a helicopter to evacuate people. But here we see something different.”
The incident occurred on Sunday but was not reported by the Dutch Defense Ministry until Thursday, when the story broke in a Dutch newspaper.
The marines were reportedly on a mission to rescue a Dutch national from the Libyan territory.
The helicopter and its crew departed from a Dutch frigate off the coast of Libya. While landing, the three-man crew and helicopter were taken over by pro-Gadhafi troops. The marines are currently being held in custody.
The Dutch civilian who the marines were attempting to evacuate was handed over to the Dutch Embassy in Libya after successful negotiations by pro-Gadhafi forces, and has since been allowed to leave the country.
Libyan state television showed on Thursday footage of the captured helicopter.
Pointing to the weapons that were onboard the helicopter, the television anchor said, “According to the channel al-Arabiya, this was a helicopter to evacuate people. But here we see something different.”
The incident occurred on Sunday but was not reported by the Dutch Defense Ministry until Thursday, when the story broke in a Dutch newspaper.
