Ugandan police rescue Egyptian diplomat kidnapped for ransom

Uganda's police has rescued an Egyptian diplomat who was kidnapped last week on a road near the capital, Kampala, the police said.

Muhammad Ali Abdul Amidu, an official at the Egyptian embassy, was rescued after an operation that was coordinated together with the army,

The kidnappers had demanded a ransom of $40,000 and threatened to kill him if their demands were not fulfilled, a police statement said.

The kidnappers were tracked and their vehicle intercepted as they were heading to a hotel in the central district of Wakiso. Police shot and killed one of the abductors but the diplomat was unharmed.

"Two suspects are in custody in connection with this kidnapping," police said.

There have been previous incidents of kidnapping of foreign nationals in the East African country.

In 2019, US tourist and her guide were rescued after they were kidnapped at gunpoint while on safari. Then US President Donald Trump tweeted about the rescue.

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