Her Arrival in Vienna

Kidnapped Austrian Woman Finally Home Again

Son Christoph hugs his released mother, Eva Gretzmacher (76).(Bild: privat)

After 21 months in the clutches of Islamist terrorists, Vienna resident Eva Gretzmacher returned home on Thursday and was reunited with her sons at Vienna International Airport (see video above). 

“Today is a special day that moves us all,” said Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger on Thursday—thanks to a joint effort, Eva Gretzmacher’s captivity had come to a happy end. In a video, her son Christoph expressed his gratitude for the “huge outpouring of solidarity”—and to everyone who had worked to secure the 76-year-old’s release. First and foremost, Libyan General Saddam Haftar, who ultimately pulled the strings behind the scenes.

“Overjoyed that this nightmare is over”
Christoph Gretzmacher said he was “overjoyed that this nightmare is over and our mother is coming home.” Just hours later, he was indeed able to embrace her again at Vienna-Schwechat Airport.

He and his brother greeted the 76-year-old, who was visibly worn out by her ordeal, right at the jet bridge on the tarmac. She was on board a flight that had departed from Benghazi, Libya—where the woman from Vienna and a Swiss woman had been taken on Wednesday after their release from Niger.

Son Christoph embraces his released mother, Eva Gretzmacher (76).(Bild: privat)

Abducted from her home in January 2025
Background: The now 76-year-old cultural mediator from Vienna had been abducted at gunpoint from her home in Agadez, Niger, on January 11, 2025, at the age of 73. The kidnappers forced the woman into an SUV. Local media reported that the kidnappers were criminals who had handed Gretzmacher over to an Islamist terrorist cell. For months, there was no sign of life—until her 75th birthday.

Many Kidnappings in the Sahel Region

• The Sahel region has seen a record number of kidnappings in recent years. For about ten years, Niger has been facing deadly violence from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Jihad militia. Other Islamist organizations, such as Boko Haram, are also active in the region, along with Russian mercenaries.
• According to ACLED, more than 10,000 people died in politically motivated violence in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in 2025 alone. Aside from kidnapping Western nationals and foreign workers, the terrorists are waging an economic war.
• Attacks and acts of sabotage target industrial production facilities, mining sites, and transit routes. Recently, there has been an increase in attacks on Chinese infrastructure and companies in Niger and Mali.
• The security situation in the Sahel region is extremely tense following military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a travel warning for Niger due to the risk of attacks and kidnappings. The number of kidnappings of foreign nationals has risen sharply in recent years.

Niger Has Been in a Spiral of Violence for Ten Years
The security situation in the Sahel region is very tense following military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The number of kidnappings of foreign nationals has risen dramatically in recent times. Gretzmacher was held hostage along with a Swiss woman, Claudia A., and an American man.

For about ten years, Niger has been facing deadly violence from jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic Jihad militia. Other terrorist organizations, such as Boko Haram, are also active in the region, as are Russian mercenaries.

“Very impressed by this strong woman”
Despite all these adversities, a diplomatic coup has now been achieved. In an initial response, Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger thanked all international partners and her team, who “worked with the utmost prudence and perseverance to secure her release.” For Gretzmacher and her family, this time has been an unimaginable ordeal. She has already been able to speak with the 76-year-old by phone. “She seems to be doing well so far, and I am very impressed by this strong woman,” said the foreign minister. The 76-year-old has been living in West Africa since 1996.