Austrian and Swiss hostages freed in Libya
Eva Gretzmacher and Claudia Abbt, kidnapped in Niger in 2025, arrived in Benghazi after more than a year in captivity.
Austrian Eva Gretzmacher and Swiss national Claudia Abbt, who were abducted separately in Agadez in 2025, have been released and arrived in Benghazi, eastern Libya, on Wednesday, October 21. Their handover to Austrian and Swiss authorities is expected after necessary formalities are completed.
According to reports, a plane was scheduled to depart Benghazi on Thursday, October 22, to stop in Vienna to deliver Eva Gretzmacher to Austrian officials before continuing to Switzerland with Claudia Abbt. The exact circumstances of their release have not been made public.
Eva Gretzmacher was taken from her home in Agadez on January 11, 2025, and Claudia Abbt was kidnapped in the same city in April of that year. Several sources have attributed the kidnappings to the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS), with some information suggesting a significant role played by Saddam Haftar, son of Libyan Marshal Khalifa Haftar, in their liberation, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Why it mattersThe two women, Eva Gretzmacher and Claudia Abbt, were held for over a year and a half before their release.