An 8-year-old Syrian boy, who was kidnapped and held for over three months, was finally released after the boy’s family paid a ransom to the kidnappers, Syria’s state media agencies reported.
The boy, Fawaz al-Qataifan, was reportedly kidnapped in the town Ibtta north of Daraa in Syria.
Syrian state media reported that Syrian government officials repeatedly tried to locate and arrest the kidnappers, but each time they planned to raid meetings between the kidnappers and the family the kidnappers would no-show.
Eventually, a meeting was held and the boy was released after the family paid the kidnappers a reported 500 million Syrian pounds ($139,000 USD). Syrian media reported that four people connected to the kidnapping have been arrested so far.
