LANGKAWI – The island’s expatriate community is abuzz that one of their own may be wanted by the police after news reports emerged that French national Rémy Daillet-Wiedemann is wanted for alleged ties to the high-profile kidnapping of an 8-year-old girl named Mia Montemaggi.
The Frenchman is said to be living on the island for the past several years, and that his presence came to light after an international arrest warrant was issued for allegedly playing a role in the abduction of the girl in the Vosges region of France.
Four suspects were arrested, and the investigation trail has led to Daillet-Wiedemann, who is alleged to be behind the kidnapping last week of Mia, where he conspired with far-right political groups to pull it off. Mia’s mother Lola Montemaggi, who lost custody of the child, was also accused of having a hand in it.
The Frenchman, who is reportedly a conspiracy theorist, used to be active in politics, and his name was mentioned on several occasions by those held in police custody.
“This arrest warrant was taken in light of several elements, including the hearings of some of the people placed in custody and indicted,” said French public prosecutor Nancy François Pérain, adding that he could have influenced and pushed them to kidnap the girl.
Daillet-Wiedemann was then said to have come to Malaysia after his political career ended in France in 2010. Sources claimed that he was living in Langkawi on a low-profile basis.
However, checks with the expatriates in Langkawi island has revealed that nobody seems to know who this French national is, with some speculating that he may be using an alias.
According to Langkawi Business Association deputy president Datuk Alexander Isaac, the Covid-19 pandemic has also caused the expatriate community to be divided, with some choosing to head home while others opted to isolate themselves.
The island's district police head Supt Shariman Ashari referred the matter to Interpol, who in turn said they needed time to check on the claims in the report.
Major kidnapping case
Mia’s kidnapping was headline news in France because it sparked a nationwide alert. After an extensive search, the girl was found alive five days later with Lola, who was accused of planning the abduction.
The elaborate nature of the kidnapping made headlines, as the suspects posed as welfare officials, using forged identities to convince Mia’s maternal grandmother to hand her over to them. They then handed over the girl to her mother who took her across the border to Switzerland.
Swiss police managed to rescue Mia from a disused factory in Switzerland, after which she was safely returned to her grandmother in France. – The Vibes, April 23, 2021
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