Kidnapping of Hichem Aboud: The Spanish Government Responds to the Parliamentary Question
In a brief written response to a parliamentary question, the Spanish government confirmed that the investigation into the kidnapping of Algerian journalist and writer Hichem Aboud is currently ongoing. The response, issued on December 18, 2024, and published in the Spanish Congress Bulletin on January 23, 2025, answered questions posed by six deputies from the conservative VOX party (Grupo VOX, GVOX) regarding the kidnapping and subsequent rescue of Aboud in Barcelona.
The Spanish government’s response, ref. 184/016897, published in the Cortes Generales Bulletin No. D-270 on January 23, 2025, stated that the incident falls under the jurisdiction of two Spanish courts: Investigating Judge No. 1 in Lebrija (Seville) and Investigating Judge No. 7 in Barcelona. No additional details were provided, reflecting the administration’s adherence to protocols limiting public comments on ongoing investigations. The response was delivered just before the December 19, 2024, deadline for the government to respond to the written parliamentary question, which had been formally submitted on November 11, 2024.
In November 2024, VOX deputies, led by Madrid representative Francisco Javier Ortega Smith-Molina, requested clarifications on key aspects of the case, including the nationality and legal status of the suspects detained in connection with Aboud’s kidnapping, their criminal backgrounds, and their alleged links to organized crime.
The kidnapping drew international attention after Mr. Aboud, known for his critical writings on Algerian politics, was rescued by the Spanish Guardia Civil in Lebrija (Seville). He was found on October 18, 2024, 23 hours after his abduction, tied up and gagged. The suspects had been attempting to force him onto a riverboat to smuggle him out of Spain and hand him over to Algerian intelligence in international waters.
Two individuals remain in preventive detention: one is a Franco-Senegalese man named Dieng Amadou, and the other is of Moroccan nationality. Investigations are ongoing within the Spanish judicial, police, and intelligence services.
