Update: The Hostage in Mauritania

and fifty. In August, my company asked me to go in Mauritania to change another Italian man for demo about some cyber security products and uh stop to my unit. Back in January, we brought you the story of a cyber weapons deal between the government of the West African nation Mauritania and an Indian cyber arms dealer. It was a risky deal that ultimately fell apart, and Christian, an Italian bodyguard who was sent to Mauritania only as a prop for a meeting that was supposed to take place.

He ended up getting held hostage in a Mauritanian prison for over a year. And if you haven't listened to this original episode or the story sounds only vaguely familiar, go back into our feed wherever you listen to this show and listen to the full episode. It's really one of the most dramatic stories we've covered on this show. And today we have a spoiler for you. Christian was finally released by Mauritania in May after being held for

twenty one months. The Italian government succeeded in securing his release in exchange for expanded trade and diplomatic ties to Maretan. You now, that's something that's far more valuable than the one point five million dollars the Mauritanian government claimed it was originally defrauded in this deal. Now Christian is finally back with his family and his girlfriend in Italy. Hi,

I'm aki Ito and I'm Jordan Robertson. And this week we're doing something a little bit different, bringing you an update on a man who lost almost two years of his life in an African military prison. Christian was an unwitting casualty in this world we have now we're billions of dollars exchange hands underground to allow criminals and authoritarian

governments to spy on us. Now, in the original episode that we aired in January, you heard about what happened to Christian from Christian's brother because obviously Christian was still imprisoned. But we kind of depression on a recent afternoon now that he's free, and asked him to recount his experiences in Mauritania and also tell us about what he's up to today. So Jourdan, should we play the tape? Absolutely understood?

Tell us what happened next? My company sent me. They told me to go to represent some cyber security projects. But they told me my job was only two support for Indian Commission. About in the day of the meeting with the Mauritanian government, when I was in Mauritania, no one comes the Manish Kumaro India permission, no one comes. And after the two weeks the Mauritanian police come and my apartment and they arrested me and nothing and I passed the almost two years in anti terror rems barracks.

What happened when they arrested you? They come three men in my apartment. They told me that followed there they put it me in in a car in Ah seen his car and they they brought me in in a in a barrack. Uh the anti terror reals barracks. What was it like in the prison. My family don't knew if I was like that any things. And only after three months the Mauritanian police gave me the permission to call my family. The police treat me well, but the first phrase was very dirty, a lot of bugs, insects.

But only after one year they moved in another bannocks and another compound and the life was better then Christian. When you were held in Mauritania, did you lose a lot of weight? We saw some pictures of you before and after, and it looks like you got really skinny after six months, a lot, almost thirty kinograms for the stress, for the condition, for lots of problems, for the food because I'm gabetic, and they gave they gave me on the right every day. What did you do during those days?

How would you spend your time? As there was the problem, because for one year I had anything to pass the time. I sometimes I talking with some people, but that they speaking in French or someone speaking English. But I had anything to pass the time, No books or not on TV anything. Every day I look at the war after Eli Eli, after six months, uh, it's mounts. My family and me U box with some books and food and

that was better after. Were you scared? I was very afraid because the time pass My lawyer told me a lot of time, it's your governments don't move. Yeah, you reached to stay here a lot of time. Were you afraid that the Mauritanians would keep you for the rest of your life and and never let you free? Sometimes? Yeah, because sometimes I thought they took me for a long

long time. And when you are an innocent is very bad because for the first day to the last day me I was a hostage and not not a criminal, and they knew that the Mauritania and the Italian government. Are you mad at manishar No, no, no, But he was the one who got you involved in the first place. But the problem was that Marish Kumara didn't send me in Mauritania. Was the capital that send me in Mauritania. Now I hope the uh they moved to to keep

this this bassom these people. So you got released. You were freed about a month ago. How's life been? I'm actually got on entire end of my mind after two years closed in a room with my sex, only with my sas what did you do that first day when you were freed, he met my family in a room, my my girlfriend. We passed the time together and they after I returned in my home. What did it feel like to be a freeman after all you've done through my show? Was a very big emotion. Because I didn't

text the Italian gay show. They came and told me you are free as who was the the best day of my life? Imagine at any point did you give up? How did you just did you? Did you just see all that you would never never leave. I have trust in the Italian government, but only after a lot of time and I I said, uh my myself, one day, you're n free because you are innocent. People do what I want? What I want to see all these people that sent me in Yeah? Sure, sure, do you want

to see them go to prison? You want to do you want to see them in prison? I want they pay in front of the justice if they committed a crime or not against me. Were decide about that. I imagine you're not going to a vacation and more. Okay, so I don't think so, I don't think so. Yeah, good people, but they have problem with the frazerscount. We well Christian, We're so glad you're out. Thanks Christian, talk

to you later, Thank you, thank you. But you know, Jordan, what I found really striking about this conversation was how Christian said he wasn't mad at all at Many Kumar, who was that Indian cyber arms dealer who got him in this mess in the first place. I mean, I thought that was remarkable, right, I mean, when we first started reporting the story, the story is originally about Minih Khamar, this Indian cyber weapons dealer who got in way over

his head and this deal in Mauritania. You would think that Christian, the person who was hurt most in this deal, would be furious at Minich, but he reserves his anger for the guy who actually sent him to Mauritania, a guy named David Castro, who was a subcontractor to UH to MINICHH. Kumar's cyber weapons company. And it was really David Castro who who assigned Christian this job in Mauritania.

And you know, one of the things that that's really striking in talking with Christian, because I've talked to his family over the course of the past two years in reporting our story, and then obviously now after his his freedom. And the one thing that's really striking is they have no idea what this whole cyber stuff is all about. They didn't even know who Minich Kumar was until he was arrested, and they learned a lot about who Monish Kumar was through our story. So this whole world was

completely unknown to them. And to be victimized in this way for for two years. Christians still trying to put the pieces together in his own mind. But also Christian seemed really tired. I mean, which I guess isn't surprising for someone who has held for so long. Yeah, I think a lot of this was obviously physical exhaustion, but also mental exhaustion. In talking with him. We spoke with him several weeks after he was freed, so he was just getting used to life in uh, back in Italy.

So you know this trial that Christian kept referring to that he wants David Castro to be met with justice. Is Castro going to be tried in Italy? Now we don't know. You know, I had talked with David Castro, I had exchanged some emails. I think we may have spoken once or twice during the course of the reporting, but David cut off communications uh a little bit closer to publication and has not responded to to request sense.

I think there are a couple of reasons for that, but but one pretty clearly is that he is exposed potentially legally because because of what of what happened here. This was a huge deal for the Italian government. Anytime a citizen is kidnapped or held hostage abroad, the Italian government, you really moved mountains here. They they had several diplomatic trips to Mauritania to get Christian freed, a huge expense the resolution of this, getting Christian freed in exchange apparently

for expanded relations with Italy. This was a really big deal that got the attention of the highest levels of Italian government. So there was a big cost here. And if Davide castro knew or had reason to know that this was going to happen to Christian, then he's absolutely legally exposed in in Italy. But whether he whether he's

actually going to be charged arrested, who knows. But clearly Christian Christian wants that to happen right right, and you know by the way that the guy in Minish Kumar, the Indian cyber arms dealer who was trying to orchestrate this deal with Mauritania. What's he up to now? So Manisha, Manisha is one of the most interesting characters in this whole thing. I went to New Delhi and spent a few day is with Maniche while we were reporting the story. So we've kept up and I actually had had a

good enough time and in India with him. He's a young guy, he's a he's a he's a nice guy. It seems who did a really bad thing here. You know this this deal fell apart and and Christian was was imprisoned for for two years because of it. Maniche, though, walked away with likely a million dollars out of this deal. And we've communicated over email since and he's still he's still wheeling dealer, and he said he's still got some big deals on the line. He's working with the government

of Egypt. He says he's happy that this Mauritania deal is behind him. Clearly he's not going to be able to go back there. And he didn't he didn't help resolve it. He didn't. Well, that's the thing. So he said he was trying to work with the mare Atanian government to find an alternative to the thing that they wanted that he couldn't ultimately deliver. But yeah, the the the entity that resolved this was the Italian government, and Maniche was able to walk away with a seven figure payout.

Uh he he said, last time I spoke with him, he made be moving to Cyprus or one of those one of the countries in that region. And he's again he got paid. He's got a young family, and he says he's he's continuing to pursue this line of work. So Meniche I did get the sense talking about meniche so he does carry the weight of this around. I mean, this was also a guy who got in way over his head and really didn't understand the stakes in my view, until it was too late, and until until the die

were cast. Amazing. Well, thank you for that update, Jordan, Oh, thank you. It's it's it's a very very good outcome for Christian and everybody. And that's it for this week's episode of Decrypted. Thanks for listening. We always want to hear what you think of the show. Record a voice message and send it to us at Decrypted at Bloomberg dot net. Also, I'm on Twitter at Jordan's are one thousand,

and I'm at Akio seven. If you haven't already, please subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts and take him it to leave us a rating and a review. This really does so much to get our show in front of more people. This episode was produced by Pea Gadkari, Liz Smith and Magnus Hendrickson. Thanks to Nico Grant and Isabel Gottlub for their help on today's show. Alec McCabe is head of Bloomberg Podcast. We'll see you next week.