Austrians charged with extortion attempt

Two Austrian men were yesterday charged with kidnapping a man with the intention of extorting money and injecting him with a substance that was injurious to his health last Saturday.

Marco Cristoph Martinz, 25, and Bernd Derrant, 27, pleaded not guilty to holding Konstantinos Anastasiou against his will with the intention of extorting money and threatening him with death in Maghtab on August 23 at about 1.30 a.m.

The two men were also charged with maliciously administering or causing Anastasiou to take a poisonous or noxious substance and using violence to compel him to do their bidding.

Derrant, who appeared in court wearing a T-shirt proclaiming that "rules are made to be broken", pleaded not guilty to the possession of a knuckle duster.

The case continues this morning.