Twenty years after his fateful kidnapping, German CIA victim Khaled El Masri now lives in Graz on welfare. His life story sounds incredible: he was arrested in North Macedonia after a mix-up, imprisoned in Afghanistan – and later released in a forest in Albania.
As the daily newspaper “Der Standard” reports, his family is in danger of losing their house due to the rise in prices. After El Masri was diagnosed with polyneuropathy last fall, the family lives on sick pay, child benefits and the children’s wages.
Usually in bed
El Masri needs to cool his feet and spends most of his time in bed, the newspaper reports. The disease can lead to paralysis and mainly affects diabetics, but El Masri is not. “The doctors suspect that the disease is the result of his torture. Of course they don’t know,” he said.
Moved to Graz
El Masri moved to Graz a few years ago after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered Macedonia to pay €60,000 in damages for his transfer to the CIA. The German-Lebanese wanted to start a new life in Styria with this money, opened a shop selling oriental food and also worked as a driver.
arrested in 2003
El Masri was arrested by the police on New Year’s Eve 2003 in Skopje. After weeks of interrogation, he was turned over to US intelligence. The CIA took him to Afghanistan because of suspected links to terrorist networks. There he was held in a prison for more than four months and mistreated before being released. However, El Masri was mistaken for someone else.
Mayor beaten up
El Masri is extremely bitter about the actions of the German authorities. “They are obviously proud of their crimes or they wouldn’t have convicted me,” he said, referring to his prison years in Germany. El Masri was convicted of beating up the mayor of the city of Neu-Ulm. The man, clearly traumatized by his experiences, blamed him for the kidnapping. When El Masri was released after a total of five years, it was clear to him that he “didn’t want to stay in Germany for another second”.
14,500 euros hush money
In an interview he was more lenient about the US Secret Service. The CIA “did shit, but at least they realized it. They were ashamed of it. That’s why they threw me into an Albanian forest,” says El Masri, who also reports in the interview that the agents handed him 14,500 euros and demanded that he no one would tell what had happened to him.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
