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Indonesia abduction: Kidnapped oil worker Malcolm Primrose released by armed captors and reunited with family

 

John Hall
Thursday 13 June 2013 10:24 BST
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Engineer Malcolm Primrose
Engineer Malcolm Primrose (Getty Images)

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A British oil worker kidnapped in Indonesia has been reunited with his family after a two-day ordeal.

Malcolm Primrose, a drilling supervisor for the mining company Medco E&P, was ambushed by four men armed with rifles as he travelled in the Aceh region yesterday morning.

In the early hours of today, the 61-year-old was found alone at a security post inside a nearby palm oil plantation and is said to be in good health.

In a statement, Medco E&P expressed its “deepest gratitude” to authorities for locating Mr Primrose, and revealed he was now back with his family in Seumali village.

An East Aceh police spokesman said Mr Primrose, who is originally from Stirling in Scotland, contacted them yesterday via telephone, at which point his kidnappers demanded a ransom. The spokesman added that no money had exchanged hands.

Police are continuing to hunt for the four men, who tied Mr Primrose and another man up after ambushing them as they drove between Medco's oil-drilling site in Blang Simpo and Seumali village.

Officials reportedly believe that the main motive behind the kidnapping was a private grievance with Medco. They did not give further details of the grudge.

The resource-rich Aceh region is a devoutly Islamic region in northern Sumatra, which has a history of violent conflicts – often targeting westerners.

Although there were shootings involving foreigners in 2009, authorities say there have been no reported kidnapping attempts in recent years.

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