Kidnapped Vice President of Iraqi Olympic Committee released after one day

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Vice President of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee, Bashar Mustafa, has been set free a day after an unknown armed group kidnapped him on the Baghdad-Karbala road, a family member said on Wednesday.

Bashar’s son, Ravand Mustafa, told Kurdistan 24 his father had been freed and is now in a safe location in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

Ravand previously told Kurdistan 24 that his family was informed about the kidnapping after his father’s driver contacted them about the incident. He said his father was a sports official who was not involved in politics.

On Tuesday, Bashar was abducted by armed men while traveling from Karbala to Baghdad, al-Sumeriya news reported, citing security sources.

The Vice President of the National Olympic Committee in Iraq, and Head of the Boxing Federation, is a Kurd from the city of Duhok. He was returning from Karbala after attending the funeral of a member of the Boxing Federation in the city.

According to the security source, armed men wearing military uniforms set up a fake checkpoint on the Baghdad-Karbala road near the town of Musayyib where they kidnapped Mustafa and took him to an unknown location.

The National Olympic Committee in a statement expressed its concern over the abduction of its Vice President, stating that the incident harms the reputation of Iraq.

Speaking to Kurdistan 24 over the phone, head of the Iraqi Olympic Committee Raad Hamoudi said the motive behind the kidnapping was unclear at the moment.

Security forces have opened investigations into the incident, Hamoudi added, calling on all relevant authorities to follow-up on the matter and take it seriously.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany