Original version

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Radio

World Service Radio

Migrated podcast image for: Outlook

Outlook

Factual: Life Stories

True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives

True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives.

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

Outlook: How I Negotiated With al-Qaeda

Magazines & Reviews

Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, chairman of the South African charity Gift of the Givers

14/09/2017 GMT

How I Negotiated With al-Qaeda

BBC World Service - Outlook, How I Negotiated With al-Qaeda

Imtiaz Sooliman helped to free an al-Qaeda hostage held in Mali for six years.

Imtiaz Sooliman helped to free al-Qaeda hostage Stephen who was held in Mali for six years

Stephen McGown was held hostage in Mali by al-Qaeda for six years. Today we can reveal how his release was negotiated. We hear from Stephen's father Malcolm and from Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman who supervised the negotiations with the hostage takers. In 2011 Stephen McGown set off to travel from the UK to South Africa on his motorbike. He was staying in a hotel in the Malian city of  Timbuktu when he was captured 

Wayne Dixon is a man on a mission: he's trying to walk the whole coast of Great Britain - more than 7,000 miles - picking up litter as he goes along.Wayne has been struggling with depression all his life - and this project is helping him as much as it's helping others.

Christy Krobroth is an alligator wrangler who lives in Texas. Following Hurricane Harvey many parts of the city have been flooded and many wild alligators have sought refuge in people's gardens and driveways. Christy has been busy trying to rescue them. 
 
Viggó Sigurðsson is a rescue man in the Icelandic coast guard. It's a treacherous job - facing roaring winds, rolling seas and ferocious blizzards. And it's Viggo's job to go out in this weather -  he drops out of the side of a helicopter and attempts to save people from the sea, the tops of volcanos and cracks in glaciers.

Image: Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, chairman of the South African charity Gift of the Givers
Credit: Alex Housing

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Outlook

How I Negotiated With al-Qaeda

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service

About BBC World Service