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Fri, 17 May, 2013 12:00:39 AM Leila and Kaleva face media first time FTimes-STT Reports, May 17
 Leila and Atte Kaleva apeaking at a press conference organised by the Foreign Ministry on Thursday. Photo - Lehtikuva The Finnish couple released recently after long 139 days of captivity said Thursday although the abductors had treated them well, they always feared that they would be killed.
At a news conference organised by the foreign affairs ministry for first time after their release, the couple disclosed some experiences in captivity but dodged a number of questions.
The couple of Leila and Atte Kaleva and their Austrian friend Dominik Neubauer, abducted by al-Qaeda militants from Yemen’s capital Sana'a on December 21 last year, were released on May 8 in a Yemen-Oman border area.
Kaleva told newspersons that the abductors recorded his speech at gunpoint as they did with Neubauer but he had no idea why the video footage was not released.
The abductors on February 23 released a video footage of Neubauer, in which he said he would be killed, if the ransom was not paid to a Yemeni tribe within a week.
The Kalevas said they stayed together during the captivity, although a leg of Atte Kaleva was in fetters.
But the abductors allowed them to speak with each other.
They said they did not know why they were abducted and had no idea about the ransom issue.
They believed that the abductors had not got any detail about them, not even their real names or professional backgrounds.
Leila said the abductors supplied them with food and drinks and they were treated as family.
They said the abductors were tribal people working for the Salifists and al-Qaida.
Asked about the contradictory experiences described by their Austrian friend, the Kalevas refused to make any other comment but that their friend had been kept in a separate place for about five weeks out of the four and a half months of captivity period.
They did not answer the queries regarding their abduction and release but said the National Bureau of Investigation was investigating the matter.
Atte Kaleva also said they committed to the Oman authorities not to disclose details about their release.
Earlier, Austrian and some other international media outlets reported that a total of 50 million dollars was paid in ransom for the release of the three hostages.
Finland Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, however, rejected outright the report of paying ransom to the abductors. More News
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