An official from the U.S. Embassy in Guyana was abducted by gunmen on Saturday while playing golf, held for several hours, and then released unharmed, government officials said on Sunday. Steve Lesniak, 37, the embassy’s chief security officer, was freed late Saturday. He was seized earlier by armed men at a golf course at Lusignan, about 10 miles (16 km) east of the capital Georgetown. The motive for the abduction was not immediately clear, but officials said armed criminal gangs have carried out several kidnappings recently around the capital of Guyana, a poor and racially divided nation located between Venezuela and Suriname. U.S. Embassy officials were not available to comment on the incident, and it was not clear whether there had been any negotiations to secure Lesniak’s release or whether any ransom had been paid. A U.S. State Department official said investigators believe the kidnapping was not political in nature and Lesniak’s nationality was not a factor. Full Story
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