After nine months in Taliban custody, Austrian Herbert Fritz has apparently not had enough of his travels around the world, but he has had enough of Afghanistan. “I think it was bad luck, but for the sake of my family I don’t want to go there anymore,” the right-wing extremist author said upon his arrival in Vienna.
During his return to the Qatari capital Doha, he told Al Jazeera that he would like to visit Afghanistan again. In the meantime, his family must have spoken to his conscience and ‘cured’ him of this idea.
“Some nice people there”
“There were some nice people there, but also some stupid people. “I’m sorry,” he said of the people who held him captive. The Emirate of Qatar has mediated in the man’s release. According to the Foreign Ministry, he should receive medical care in Qatar before returning to Austria.
On the way from Vienna airport to the hospital at home, Herbert Fritz reported to the “Krone” visibly relieved. “I am doing well considering the circumstances, especially now with my family,” said Fritz. But his 282 days in Afghan hostage obviously left a mark on the 84-year-old. But the conditions in prison were ‘okay’: ‘I didn’t have to go hungry, there was enough to eat. Mainly rice and fruit. But mentally it was a limit. I was constantly stopped and promised my release several times,” Fritz said in the interview.
The exchange with the Taliban representatives was marked by mutual distrust, but Fritz emphatically showed the Taliban their mistake. “It was honestly a shame for both parties. On the one hand for me, because I have always emphasized how safe Afghanistan is and on the other hand, because they arrested an Austrian opposition figure – even though they actually wanted to get in touch with the federal government.
Unbroken desire to travel, but no return to Afghanistan
The right-wing author does not want to let this incident take away his wanderlust, but he will not return to Afghanistan at the request of his family – and the Taliban authorities have also urgently warned him about this. Now Fritz just wants to hug his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and be a normal ‘grandfather’ again.
His thanks go to everyone involved in the rescue operation, but also to Andreas Mölzer, who supported him on site. “Without the help of Mölzer and Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, I would probably still be here today.” The FPÖ veteran campaigned for liberation during a visit to Kabul and the top diplomat had discreet contacts.
Well-known figure in the extreme right-wing scene
Fritz is a well-known figure in the far-right scene in Austria. In 1967 he was one of the founders of the National Democratic Party (NDP), which was banned in 1988. According to the Documentation Archive of the Austrian Resistance (DÖW) from 2015, Fritz remained active in the right-wing extremist scene.
Source: Krone
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