Search For ‘insider’ Who May Be Behind Kidnapping Of Brit Millionaire In Ecuador

Search for ‘insider’ who may be behind kidnapping of Brit millionaire in Ecuador

[ad_1]

{“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Metro.co.uk”,”duration”:”T12S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/24\/16\/79305931-0-image-a-10_1703434380246.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2023-12-24T16:13:04+0000″,”description”:”Video footage has emerged apparently showing his glamorous girlfriend having an explosives vest removed by a bomb disposal expert at a property on a private gated estate in Samborondon, Ecuador, said to belong to a relative of Mr Armstrong.”,”contentUrl”:”https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2023\/12\/24\/5222145418858313174\/480x270_MP4_5222145418858313174.mp4″,”height”:270,”width”:480}

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video

Police are investigating whether an ‘insider’ might have been involved in the kidnapping of a British man in Ecuador.

Former honorary British Consul, Colin Armstrong OBE, was kidnapped by a group of 15 men dressed in fake police uniforms and driven away in his own BMW on Saturday morning.

He was rescued on Wednesday but the police investigation is still ongoing – and it’s now thought an insider might have played a part in the kidnapping.

He’s said to be ‘safe and healthy’ after the ordeal, with police issuing a picture of him smiling for the camera and wearing a police t-shirt and hat.

Colin was kidnapped alongside Katherine Paolo Santos, a Colombian partner and pole dancer described by Ecuadorian police as his ‘romantic partner’.

Just hours later, she turned up at a home believed to belong to Colin’s son Nick wearing what she told police was a vest filled with explosives. She said the vest would explode if a ransom fee wasn’t paid.

Search for ‘insider’ who may be behind kidnapping of Brit millionaire in Ecuador — Colin Armstrong was kidnapped last week (Picture: Handout/Agripac/AFP)

British businessman Colin Armstrong kidnapped from home in Ecuador. THE partner of a kidnapped British millionaire is being quizzed by police in Ecuador, it has been claimed. Colin Armstrong, 78, was abducted at his ranch home on Saturday along with Colombian-born Katherine Paola Santos. Ms Santos was reportedly rescued in a secret operation by officers this week and police are now believed to be questioning her over Mr Armstrong?s abduction. — Katherine Paolo Santos was also taken

Bomb disposal experts in protective gear removed the vest and realised the vest was fake.

Ecuadorian police have already made nine arrests and confiscated a huge haul of guns, grenades, detonators and drugs.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and British intelligence officers were also involved in the investigation, MailOnline reports.

But they’re now investigating whether Colin’s kidnappers had help from someone with insider knowledge.

General Freddy Sarzosa Guerra, the police’s director of investigations, said: ‘This is being investigated as a kidnap for money and the motive was an economic one.’

Explosive vest — She turned up at the home of Colin’s son with a fake explosive vest strapped to her

Colin splits his time between several homes both in Ecuador and his country estate in Yorkshire, so questions are being asked as to how the kidnappers knew where he would be last Saturday.

According to police sources, evidence found during raids this week suggest that last weekend’s kidnapping was planned in meticulous detail.

Gang members arrived at Rodeo Grande, where the Armstrong family crest hangs next to the gate along with the family motto ‘Trans Mare Video’ – ‘I see beyond the sea’ – in the early hours of Saturday morning.