One of Turkey's richest businessmen said he has been kidnapped in Iraq, appearing in a video aired Saturday alongside one of his weeping employees and saying they were being treated well by their captors.
Kahraman Sadikoglu, president of the Istanbul-based Tuzla Shipyard, and ship captain Ahmet Yurtdas had not been heard from since they left the southern Iraqi city of Basra by land on December 16, according to their families.
The footage did not say who was holding the two men or mention demands.
However, several newspapers said a ransom demand of $25 million had been made, but Foreign Ministry officials and family members of the hostages refused to confirm the reports.
"Today is December 23. We were captured four or five days ago," Sadikoglu said on the videotape, broadcast on Turkish television. "We're fine and they will check us out, what we're doing here, and will hopefully release us. God is Great."
Sadikoglu said he was working for the United Nations and the Iraqi government on a project clearing harbors of sunken ships. "We don't have any problems with the Iraqi government, we're creating jobs and food for the Iraqis," he said.
"If that is a crime too, then we will accept the punishment."
In his mid-50s, Sadikoglu is renowned for salvaging ships around the world and restoring luxury yachts. One of Turkey's wealthiest men, he is popular among many Turks for having renovated and rescued the Savarona, a luxury yacht that once belonged to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. The Savarona is listed as one of the world's largest yachts.
His wife, Julide Sadikoglu, expressed hope that her husband and the captain would be released soon, the Anatolia news agency reported.
"I understood from Kahraman's speech that there is nothing to be afraid of," his wife said after watching the video. "I am very happy to see them healthy."
She said Sadikoglu was doing business on his own and that he was not related to "Americans, Britons or any other state," the news agency reported.
