Missionary kidnapped by Islamic extremists for 6 years alleges FBI withheld intel, misled wife

Missionary Jeff Woodke, who was held captive by Islamic extremists for more than six years, alleges the FBI withheld information and misled his wife regarding his captors. 

Woodke was captured in October 2016 in Niger by Islamic militants and was released this March. 

In an interview with the Associated Press, Woodke and his wife said that they had reason to believe that FBI officials withheld information and misled them about the scope of demands from the kidnappers. 

“It was hell. I think the hardest part was knowing that my family, if they were alive, they were suffering too,” he said during the interview. 

The Woodkes allege that the FBI officials had poor communication when it came to the status of the negotiations and offered barely any assistance with raising money for a ransom.

Woodke's wife Els said she had some harsh words with Secretary of State Antony Blinken just weeks before her husband came home. 

“I said, if it was you that had been kidnapped, you would be free in a week because your wife is free to take from your money and buy you free,” she recalled telling Blinken. “So because you are rich, you can pay the ransom. But a poor person is never able to do that.”

While the U.S. government does not pay ransom to kidnappers, it does allow families of hostages to raise money for a ransom. Els said that government restrictions made it near impossible to raise any money. 

Woodke was released March 20, although it was never explained fully how the government got him home.