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Witness History: The Aldi kidnap

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The ALDI kidnap

09/12/2021 GMT

The Aldi kidnap

BBC World Service - Witness History, The Aldi kidnap

The abduction of Theo Albrecht, co-founder of the discount supermarket chain ALDI.

The abduction of Theo Albrecht, co-founder of the discount supermarket chain ALDI. A man of great wealth, but so shy and retiring his kidnappers were unsure they had the right man.

The abduction of Theo Albrecht, who co-founded the discount supermarket chain ALDI with his brother Karl. The brothers shunned publicity and there were few photos of them. So, when two armed men confronted Theo outside his company headquarters in late 1971, they demanded to see ID. They needed to be sure they were taking the right man. Albrecht later tried to claim tax back on the ransom paid to secure his release. He died in 2010, worth an estimated 16 billion dollars.
Image: Theo Albrecht in 1971.  Credit: EPA

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