Romance! Drama! Terror! A Thousand Elephants! And a happy ending. (More or less.)

[electricland]

Some people really shouldn't be let out alone. As CityNews says, this guy should have known better.

56-year-old Australian farmer meets love of life online. Flies to Mali to meet her and marry her and pick up her $100,000 dowry in gold. Is instead kidnapped and held for ransom. (Shocker!) Escapes with help of Canadian embassy.

Poor guy must be heartbroken. But really.

Comments

[texaslawchick.livejournal.com]

Hmmm.. this sentence gives me a little pause in my enthusiasm to go to the Festival in the Desert in Mali in January:

Kidnappings are a common practice in Mali, one of the poorer countries in the world. It's best known as the home of the outpost of Timbuktu.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

oh, but it would be so cool to go!

Not alone though, perhaps.

[cliosfolly.livejournal.com]

Almost sounds like a candidate for the Darwin Awards. Ouch, though.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, apparently this is the second time (http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22230436-5006301,00.html). At least, the second time he's gone overseas to meet a bride and been disappointed, not the second time he's been kidnapped.

Also: icon love!

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

I saw this story and had a serious WTF moment. Because, WTF?!?!?

Humans. (said in "Q" voice)

[electricland.livejournal.com]

And apparently he flew to Russia three years ago (http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22230436-5006301,00.html) to meet a woman he met on the Internet.

Honestly, my heart bleeds a bit, but as you say, WTF?

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

He clearly doesn't learn from history or experience. Jeez.