The cash filled three suitcases: 5 million euros.
The German official charged with delivering this cargo arrived here aboard a nearly empty military plane and was whisked away to a secret meeting with the president of Mali, who had offered Europe a face-saving solution to a vexing problem.
Officially, Germany had budgeted the money as humanitarian aid for the poor, landlocked nation of Mali.
In truth, all sides understood that the cash was bound for an obscure group of Islamic extremists who were holding 32 European hostages, according to six senior diplomats directly involved in the exchange.
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In various news releases and statements, the U.S. Treasury Department has cited ransom amounts that, taken together, put the total around $165 million during the same period.
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Put more bluntly, Europe has become an inadvertent underwriter of al-Qaida.
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Only a handful of countries have resisted paying, led by the United States and Britain. Although both these countries have negotiated with extremist groups evidenced most recently by the United States trade of Taliban prisoners for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl they have drawn the line when it comes to ransom.
It is a decision that has had dire consequences. While dozens of Europeans have been released unharmed, few U.S. or British nationals have gotten out alive.
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Almost a year into her captivity, Mariani recalls telling her guard that her family did not have the money, and that her government refused to pay ransoms. Her captor reassured her.
Your governments always say they dont pay, he told Mariani. When you go back, I want you to tell your people that your government does pay. They always pay.
