The first images of the Romanian sailor, kidnapped by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. How his wife found out he disappeared

A Romanian sailor was kidnapped in the Red Sea. The Romanian was on board a ship that was captured by the Houthi rebels. We are talking about a radical group supported by Iran, which this month launched several rockets in the direction of Israel in the context of the war in Gaza. The terrorist group also announced last week that it would attack ships owned or operated by Israeli companies in the Red Sea. The sailor’s wife recently gave a statement to the Observer.

By the Observator editorial team on 20.11.2023, 13:39

The kidnapped sailor’s wife: He is the only Romanian on the ship. I have no information, I know absolutely nothing about him. The last time I spoke to him was Saturday, Saturday night. He didn’t tell me anything special, he didn’t specify that there was any danger on the ship. We were supposed to talk on Sunday, that is, yesterday, but I have received absolutely no calls from him. I thought it was strange that he didn’t call. I searched on a ship tracking site. I saw that the ship had no signal, there was no information, and I actually googled the ship, that’s right, Galaxy Leader. I found out from the internet.

From the first information, the ship was taken near the coast of Yemen. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated the crisis cell and is following the standard procedures for the release of the Romanian sailor. The authorities demanded the immediate release of the entire crew. It is about 25 sailors who come from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania and Mexico.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have captured a British-owned, Japanese-operated cargo ship in the southern Red Sea. Iran’s allies claimed to have captured the ship in the area, but described it as Israeli. “We treat the ship’s crew in accordance with Islamic principles and values,” said a spokesman for the group, without referring to Israel.