A German man accused of endangering a hostage release operation in Somalia has been offered bail on fraud charges in Ireland.
Andreas Holst, 57, from Kiel, was arrested in Ireland last month on an extradition warrant that includes fraud charges in Germany for allegedly selling fake gold bars, The Times reported.
An Irish court has granted him bail if he can raise a EUR 2,000 ($2,400) bond.
The report said Holst has been living under the name Aindriu MacHolst in Ireland since late 2014, where he had been offering to help people involved in litigation and referring to himself as a “skipper”.
In 2014, Holst is alleged to have been involved in an attempt to raise EUR 900,000 to free 11 seafarers from the 1,066-teu containership Albedo (built 1993), which was hijacked in 2010.
He is said to have volunteered to raise cash when he approached Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP), a UN-sponsored victim support group.
His story was reported by NDR, a German public broadcaster.
John Steed, of the OBP hostage support programme, told The Times the crew had been held for three years when Holst volunteered to help.
No money forthcoming
He claimed Holst told him that the money could be wired through diplomatic channels in the German embassy in Nairobi, but he later said he would carry the money through airports in a “lead-lined suitcase”.
Steed added that Holst stopped answering his phone when it was time to transfer the cash.
A solicitor for Holst said he had “no further comment to make” when the allegations were put to him.
The 11 Albedo crew were released in June 2014.
It is understood a $2m ransom was paid.
Of the initial crew of 23, seven Pakistani nationals were freed in 2013 after a $2.9m ransom was handed over.
Five crew members died along with seven pirates when Albedo sank in 2013, but the remaining 11 survived having been moved to a fishing vessel.
