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In 1953, following his exile to Madagascar by the French, a British group was presented with a reward of £250,000 to abduct Sultan Mohammed Ben Youssef. The gang had devised the most sophisticated kidnapping plan, which was eventually discovered by French authorities.

In 1953, a notorious British gang was preparing to carry out one of the boldest kidnappings ever. Similar to the most thrilling spy films, their plan involved sailing all the way to Madagascar to abduct Morocco’s Sultan Mohammed Ben Youssef. If everything went as planned, they stood to gain 250,000 pounds. Led by Eddie Chapman, an English wartime spy, and Billy Hill, an English criminal associated with smuggling, protection rackets, and extreme violence, the group set sail from Tangier on a boat called Flamingo to begin the first stage of their meticulously planned scheme.

As per an old article from the Sun-Herald, an Australian newspaper, published on October 10, 1954, the group traveled to Tangier, which was considered an international zone during that period, where they encountered two prominent figures from the Arab Nationalist movement.

The Plot

As organized by the two criminals, the plan involved sailing on the “fully armed Flamingo” to Madagascar, where the king was in exile, encircling the police headquarters with the assistance of 12 Arab gunmen, while Chapman would abduct the Sultan.

A screenshot of the article featured in the Sun-Herald./Ph. Facebook

The plan to abduct the Sultan was a joint effort by a British gang and an Arab leader, aiming to assist the Moroccan Sultan in reuniting with his people and opposing the French. Therefore, once the Sultan was taken from his place of exile, a prominent Egyptian official from the Arab League would «fly to Tangier to organize the Flamingo to transmit its location via a secret frequency in the Indian Ocean following the abduction», according to The Sun-Herald.

Egypt would eventually dispatch a seaplane to retrieve the Sultan and assist him in flying to the same country, and subsequently to Morocco, where he was planned to lead the Arab Nationalist movement in an effort to combat the French.

When the scheme was revealed

Attempting to stick to the plan and get ready for the kidnapping, the Flamingo conducted a smuggling test, earning 18,000 pounds from «illegal cigarettes». Later in June, French authorities discovered the secret plans of the British gang. As a result, the Flamingo group ran away to Savona, a small town in Italy where they remained hidden. According to the same source, their yacht was being monitored by Interpol.

An article published by the Sunday Mail newspaper./Ph. Facebook

Via the international police, the French were able to obtain the criminal records of Hill, Chapman, and every other member of the Flamingo’s crew. The plot was uncovered when the ship was suspected of carrying weapons.

Sailing to Corsica, a Mediterranean island that is part of French territory, Chapman returned to England to see his wife, who had recently given birth to a child. In the meantime, Billy Hill flew back to London before the French authorities could detain the ship.