In this photo: the three workers arrested - Matteo Pagani, Marco Garatti (next to his wife) and Matteo Dell'Aria (Photo by Ansa)
The three Italian aid workers arrested in Afghanistan on suspicion of involvement in a plot to kill the Governor of Helmland Province were freed on Sunday and will return to Italy by coach from Frankfurt, it was announced this morning.
Doctor Matteo Garatti, Nurse Matteo Dell’Aria and logistics expert Matteo Pagani Bonaiuti were working for the NGO Emergency at a hospital run by the charity when they were arrested on 10th April. Weapons and explosive suicide vests were found in the hospital but the head of Emergency, Gino Strada, said they must have been been “planted”.
At first the Italian government distanced itself from the situation but later both Mr Berlusconi and Foreign Minister Franco Frattini intervened. Mr Berlusconi wrote to President Hamid Karzai insisting that the workers’ rights be respected and asking for “clear explanations” as to the reasons for their arrest. The government also asked Mr Strada to stop making “unhelpful statements” as he insisted that the workers were detained because they were in a position to tell painful truths that the West does not wish to hear about the situation in Afghanistan.
The three were transferred from Lashkar Gar, Helmland, to Kabul prior to their release. In the company of Italy’s Special Envoy Attilio Ianucci they flew on a scheduled flight from Kabul to Dubai yesterday and should have arrived at Milan’s Linate Airport on a flight from Frankfurt this morning. However, their flight was cancelled because of the dust cloud over Europe. A private coach has been hired for their transfer back to Italy.
