An Italian businessman was charged with fraud after his alleged fake kidnap plot backfired when Islamist militants held him hostage for three years.
Alessandro Sandrini, 32, expected to be living in a luxury villa until he was double-crossed by his kidnappers and sold to extremists in Syria, investigators said.
Mr Sandrini was accused of planning his own abduction with a criminal gang in a plan to share the ransom money.
His girlfriend said that she overheard the gang promising to put him up in a villa stocked with "drugs, alcohol and women", police told The Times.
Prosecutors said Mr Sandrini promised her a share of the €100,000 ($117,410) ransom he hoped to receive and the gang paid his girlfriend €50 a week to keep the plot secret.
“He became a victim of his own game,” a source in the Italian justice system told a newspaper. "It was a real kidnapping from start to finish."
The genuine kidnappers released a video in 2018 of Mr Sandrini kneeling before masked, armed men begging for help. He claimed to have been captured outside a hotel in which he was staying.
Three men – two Albanians and an Italian – were arrested and charged with arranging the kidnapping.
Italian police said the men convinced Mr Sandrini and businessman Sergio Zanotti to travel to Turkey after meeting them in cafes in their home town of Brescia in Lombardy.
Mr Zanotti, 60, made the journey after being promised a business deal involving Iraqi currency.
Prosecutors said the men were flown to Turkey – five months apart – in 2016 by the gang.
In Turkey, both businessmen were captured and taken to Syria, where they were held captive by extremist group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham.
Police said the three men arrested had associates in Turkey, who carried out the kidnapping and handed the two Italians over to the extremists.
Mr Zanotti left Italy in April 2016 and remained a prisoner until April 2019.
Mr Sandrini, who arrived in Turkey in October 2016 and was not freed until May 2019, was charged with fraud.
Police said a third businessman was approached about making the trip to Turkey, but pulled out at the last minute, refusing to board his plane.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2019 Audi A8
Price From Dh390,000
Engine 3.0L V6 turbo
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 345hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy, combined 7.5L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
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TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Overall head-to-head
Federer 6-1 Cilic
Head-to-head at Wimbledon
Federer 1-0 Cilic
Grand Slams titles
Federer 18-1 Cilic
Best Wimbledon performance
Federer: Winner (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012)
Cilic: Final (2017*)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Ovo's tips to find extra heat
- Open your curtains when it’s sunny
- Keep your oven open after cooking
- Have a cuddle with pets and loved ones to help stay cosy
- Eat ginger but avoid chilli as it makes you sweat
- Put on extra layers
- Do a few star jumps
- Avoid alcohol