Contact in the Hagen abduction case

Police Inspector Tommy Brøske is relating the latest facts in the supposed abduction of Anne-Elisabeth Hagen. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB scanpix

Contact with the abductors in the Hagen abduction case

There is renewed contact between the family of the missing Anne-Elisabeth Hagen and the supposed abductors. There is, however, no evidence that she is alive, according to the police. The so-called Hagen abduction case started on October 31st last year.

 

 

“We still have the hope that Hagen is alive, but it is disturbing that no proof of life has been produced,” Police Inspector in East Police District, Tommy Brøske, tells at a press conference regarding the disappearance.

“The possible abductors have made contact via another platform, which the police consider to be positive,” Brøske continues.

He is, however, very sparse with the details of the investigation.

Third message

“We cannot say anything about which communication platform is used – when the contact was made – or anything relating to the content of the message,” he explains.

“The message is the third that has come, and the message is addressed to the family and sent to both the support lawyer and the police,” Brøske elaborates.

At a press conference on January 24th, Support Lawyer for the Hagen family, Svein Holden, asked the supposed kidnappers to use a different way of communicating than the encrypted messaging service they were using. This service has very limited communication capabilities.

According to Brøske, the current platform is better suited for communication than the previous is.

The police inspector emphasises that the police are not a party to the case.

“Our recommendation to the family is not to agree to negotiations before it is presented with proof of life. The most important thing is that proof thereof can be dated,” he points out.

Brøske further states that there is also no evidence that those who claim to have Hagen actually do so.

No negotiations

Lawyer Svein Holden states that the family will follow the advice from the police. There will be no negotiations until the family receives a confirmation that Anne-Elisabeth Hagen is still alive.

“If the family receives such proof of life as the counterpart has outlined in their recent inquiry, the family will work to get Anne-Elisabeth home safe and sound ASAP,” He asserts.

“The supposed kidnappers have contacted the family in a different and better way than before, something the family experiences as positive,” the Lawyer adds.

“The negative is that it is one-way communication, without the possibility for the family to respond immediately,” Holden concludes.

Threats and demands

Anne-Elisabeth Hagen (68) has disappeared since October 31st. The police assume that the woman was abducted from her home at Fjellhamar. The disappearance was kept under wraps until January 9th. The need to obtain more information and tips meant that the police chose to finally go public.

The police have confirmed that there have been both threats and demands for ransom in the form of a cryptocurrency.

The police informed at the turn of the month that the theory that Hagen was abducted has been strengthened. They have received more than 1,400 tips since January 9th.

Divers

The police have carried out 3D scanning of the Hagen property in addition to carrying out searches with professional divers in Langvannet Lake. The Lake is located next to the family property.

Facts

  • The police believe that Anne-Elisabeth Hagen (68) was abducted from her home in Sloraveien in Lørenskog between 9.15 am and 1.30 pm on Wednesday, October 31st, 2018 (Halloween).
  • Her husband, businessman and billionaire, Tom Hagen (68), came home around 1.30 pm and notified the police about half an hour later.
  • Not before Wednesday 9th January, more than ten weeks after the abduction, the police went public with the case. The investigation was kept under wraps due to serious threats made to the woman’s life and health.
  • So far there are no signs that she is alive, nor the opposite. The police do not know if she is kept hidden in Norway or abroad.
  • There is a demand for ransom in cryptocurrency and posed serious threats in a letter left by the perpetrators. They require 9 million euros in Monero, a cryptocurrency that is scarce and very difficult to track.
  • The police believe that they are dealing with professional actors.
  • The investigation is led by the Eastern Police District, with assistance from Oslo Police District, Kripos, Økokrim, Interpol and Europol. Interpol issued a public inquiry at the end of January. The police have so far received more than 1,400 tips in the case.
  • A video recording shows three persons passing Tom Hagen’s office premises on October 31st. A cyclist is questioned and checked out of the case. There have been tips on the two other persons, but they are not yet identified.
  • Oslo fire and rescue services started a two-day search in Langvannet by the family property on Wednesday, January 23rd. The police have so far not wanted to comment on whether any interesting findings were made. A 3D scan of the property has also been carried out.
  • At a press conference on Monday, it was made public that contact has been made by the perpetrators to Anne-Elisabeth Hagen’s family on a different platform. At the press conference, the police state that they have not yet received evidence that Hagen is alive.


© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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