Serbian kidnapped in Libya released

A Serbian citizen kidnapped in an oil field in Libya last Saturday has been released, the Serbian Foreign Ministry confirmed to local media on Wednesday.

According to a press release from the ministry to national broadcaster RTS, Miroslav Tomic, a 36-year-old project manager at a German company who maintains pipes and facilities, was released after being held since April 23 in the north of Libya. He is expected to arrive at the company headquarters later on Wednesday.

In cooperation with the German company where Tomic works, the ministry received a definite confirmation that the man was now "in a safe place."

"Immediately upon learning that Tomic was kidnapped, local military units were deployed to search for his vehicle. They found the place where his vehicle was intercepted by kidnappers," Veljko Odalovic, general secretary of the Foreign Ministry, told RTS.

He said the German company said there was no political motivation for the kidnapping and the company did not mention if kidnappers had sought ransom.

"Probably this was a kidnapping for money, as in Libya this is one of the more profitable activities of various criminal groups," said Odalovic.

Tomic, kidnapped on his job at the Messla oil field, some 1,200 km west from the Libyan capital Tripoli, has been working and living in Libya for 20 years.

This is the second time Serbian nationals have been kidnapped in Libya. Two Serbian embassy employees in Tripoli were kidnapped last November for ransom. They were killed in a U.S. air strike in February while negotiations were going on.

According to official data, around 350 Serbian citizens work and live in Libya. Endit