Susanne Osthoff, the German archeologist kidnapped by Iraqi gunmen on Nov. 25 and released before Christmas was connected with her country's intelligence service, the BND, and had helped arrange a meeting with a top member of the terrorist organization al-Qaida, possibly Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi himself, according to well informed German sources Sunday.
The sources confirmed German press reports that the 43-year-old woman had worked for the BND in Iraq on a freelance basis, and had for some time even stayed in a German intelligence safe house in Baghdad.
I didn't post anything on this when it was happening because it really wasn't about archaeology or archaeologists generally. This changes things and may make it more difficult for archaeologists working in other areas. She seems to have been rather benign, as these things go, apparently only arranging contacts with certain al Qaida members. Still, having one of our own actually identified as a spy coupld complicate things. There was a stink a few years ago about two other archaeologists -- their names escape me at the moment -- that were purported to be working for the CIA, which was never really proven. We have enough trouble working in foreign places without being suspected of being government agents though.