Magazine claims German hostage in Iraq kept ransom money

"Munich - Susanne Osthoff, 43, the German woman who was freed a month ago from captivity in Iraq, had in her possession ransom money that was earlier paid for her release, a weekly news magazine claimed Saturday.

The account, to be published on Monday in Focus, said Osthoff, whose account of her ordeal as a hostage has puzzled Germans, could not be reached for comment on the claims. Germany has said previously it does not pay ransoms.

Focus said Osthoff, a freelance archaeologist and aid worker who has converted to Islam and has lived in Iraq for many years, was driven after her release to the German embassy in Baghdad to freshen up.

As she took a shower, embassy staff saw thousands of U.S. dollars in her clothing. The banknotes were held together with elastic bands. German police later checked the serial numbers on the notes and established they were the same as on the ransom money, Focus said."
Monsters and Critics

Fools, by paying out ransoms you not only feed the terrorist but you open yourselves up to this, which must be the most vile form of fraud. They say you get what you paid for. In this case it's true.