Austrian kidnap victim, held for 8 1/2 years, made failed escape attempts, official says
By APSaturday, January 2, 2010
Austrian official: Kidnapped girl tried to escape
VIENNA — An official says a young Austrian woman kidnapped for 8 1/2 years tried to escape three times before she finally got away.
Natascha Kampusch was abducted in 1998 and held captive until she fled successfully at age 18, in August 2006. Her kidnapper, Wolfgang Priklopil, committed suicide within hours.
Prosecutor Thomas Muehlbacher says Kampusch once tried to reach out to a Dutch tourist in a restroom during a one-day ski trip.
He says she also tried to get away while at a Vienna apartment Priklopil was renovating. An attempt to leave Priklopil’s home in the town of Strasshof failed because Kampusch felt too weak.
Muehlbacher on Saturday rejected a report claiming that Kampusch twice returned to her captor of her own accord.
