Stephen McGown, who was longest held of the Timbuktu Three, reveals he converted to Islam during his six years in captivity

A South African man who was held hostage by al-Qaida in Mali for almost six years said he converted to Islam to help cope with the ordeal.

Stephen McGown, who also holds British citizenship, was set free at the end of July after being kidnapped in 2011 at a hostel in Timbuktu, where he had been staying while travelling across the Sahara on a motorbike.

He was the longest-held of the “Timbuktu Three”, who were seized by Islamist extremists in Mali. A fourth man, a German tourist, was killed during the kidnapping.

In his first appearance before media since his release, McGown, still sporting long hair and a beard from his years in captivity, said he was not under duress to convert from Catholicism to Islam and insisted it did not play a part in his release.

“I see a lot of good in Islam. It has opened my eyes. It’s taken me away from capitalism,” he told reporters. He revealed that he feared for his life three times during his time in captivity, but stopped after his conversion.

Joking with reporters, he added: “I’ll probably keep the beard. I see all of my friends are growing them. They’ve become funky.”

At a press conference in Johannesburg, McGown showed no sign of anger towards his captors, even though he was not released in time to be reunited with his ailing mother, Beverly, who died in May.

Flanked by his father, Malcolm, and wife, Catherine, McGown said his mother was in a “better place”.

He claimed he was “treated well” by his captors and said they often “prioritised” his needs ahead of their own. Asked what he missed most during his time in captivity, McGown replied “freedom”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Stephen McGown with his wife Catherine. Photograph: Gulshan Khan/AFP/Getty Images

McGown was treated in hospital for several days after his release and has suffered with headaches and other minor ailments.

He spoke calmly about his coping strategies. “Sometimes you sleep a lot‚ sometimes you’re miserable … I tried to escape from reality, sometimes I exercised. I tried to see the best in the situation,” he said.

He added he was determined to return to his family in Johannesburg “a better man”.

He said his captors were unaware that he held joint UK citizenship. “I don’t believe they knew my nationality. It would have been first prize for them if I was British … They kidnapped me just because I was non-Muslim.”

McGown admitted he was sceptical when his captors said he would be freed, even after the release of the Swedish hostage, Johan Gustafsson. The third hostage in the group, Sjaak Rijke, a Dutchman, was freed by French commandoes in 2015.

McGown has since learned that his fellow hostages visited his family to reassure them of his wellbeing.

McGown said he did not get the chance to say goodbye to Gustafsson when he was released in June at the end of Ramadan.



He said: “I did not find out that he had left our particular place until that evening when we had finished fasting for the day.

“A month later, on the 21 of July, a car came in [to the compound] and a man started talking to the emir, and called me over to say, ‘Your fellow prisoner has been released and has gone back to Sweden, and hopefully you will be going home soon.’”

McGown said he chose not to believe his captors because his hopes of release had been dashed many times before. “I was like, ‘I’ve heard this story before, don’t worry, I’m going back to my hut, this is not important’,” he said.

McGown recounted that he did not realise he had finally been freed until he was taken on a two-and-a-half day car journey across remote stretches of the Sahara to the city of Gao in eastern Mali.

“The driver in my car turned to me and said, ‘You are free, you can go.’ I was like, ‘Yeah OK.’ He said: ‘If you don’t believe me you can walk, you can go.’ Then it actually came to me: maybe he’s not just pulling my leg and joking with me. And then another came along. I got in that and I drove out.



“Once I hit the tar road and crossed over the bridge into Gao, then I realised that if they try and take me back I’m going to jump out of the car and run so then I realised I must be free now.”

The South African authorities said McGown was released after negotiations with Mali and the charity Gift of the Givers. The government said no ransom had been paid.

McGown thanked all those who had played a role in his release.