Herbert Fritz was arrested in Could final yr
Doha, Qatar:
An Austrian far-right extremist who visited Afghanistan reportedly to show it was a protected nation was launched on Sunday after 9 months in detention there.
Herbert Fritz, 84, who in keeping with Austrian media has shut hyperlinks to the far-right extremist scene, arrived within the Qatari capital Doha after being freed by Taliban authorities.
Fritz was arrested in Could after defying Austria’s long-standing warning towards journey to Afghanistan, which in 2021 returned to the rule of the Taliban who imposed a strict interpretation of Islam.
”I believe it was unhealthy luck however I wish to go to once more,” he informed reporters on arrival in Doha, when requested about his ordeal.
”There have been some good folks however there have been some silly folks additionally, I am sorry,” Fritz added, describing his captors.
Austrian authorities thanked Qatar, the gas-rich Gulf emirate, for aiding Fritz’s launch and mentioned he could obtain medical care in Doha earlier than flying residence.
The Taliban authorities’s inside and international ministries didn’t reply to a request for remark.
In keeping with Austrian newspaper Der Customary, one among Fritz’s passions was visiting ”harmful” locations, together with Afghanistan within the Eighties and japanese Ukraine lately.
Attempting to show that Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is protected, he travelled there final yr and printed an article titled ”Holidays with the Taliban” by way of a far-right media outlet.
He was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of espionage, Der Customary mentioned. Such journey studies might need been a bid to painting Afghanistan as a protected nation to return Afghan refugees to, the newspaper added.
Previously, in keeping with Austrian media, Fritz has met Kurdish chief Abdullah Ocalan — at present jailed in Turkey.
He additionally reportedly visited fighters of the Folks’s Safety Models (YPG), the principle part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the de facto military of the Kurdish semi-autonomous administration in Syria’s northeast.
Turkey views the YPG as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Staff’ Social gathering (PKK) — a gaggle designated by Ankara and plenty of of its Western allies as a terrorist organisation.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)