A BBC Radio 4 investigation has revealed how hundreds of migrants travelling towards the UK were allegedly kidnapped in Libya.
It also found they were threatened with forced organ removal unless their families paid ransom money.
The claims feature in the latest episode of Intrigue: To Catch a King, available on BBC Sounds, and form part of the programme’s wider investigation into people smuggling routes from Iraqi Kurdistan to Europe.
According to the episode, more than 300 young Iraqi Kurdish men travelled to Libya during the summer of 2025 as part of journeys organised by a smuggling network.
After arriving, they were allegedly taken to a guarded compound and held captive by a Libyan militia group following a dispute over payments with a people smuggler known as Noah Aaron.
The militia reportedly demanded $5,000 from each captive’s family and warned that if payments were not made quickly, the debt would be settled “with a kidney”.
Presenters Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie travelled to Ranya in Iraqi Kurdistan, where they spoke to families of those held captive.
Reporter Sue Mitchell said: “It’s on a much bigger scale than we’d imagined. There are so many fathers trying to tell us their sons have had kidneys taken.”
The programme states that the BBC has been unable to independently verify claims that organs were removed. However, Mitchell said the team spoke to released hostages and reviewed photographic evidence which appeared consistent with surgical procedures.
A British surgeon who reviewed one image told the team the incision location was consistent with access to a kidney.
Former captives described severe overcrowding, physical abuse and inadequate food supplies. One 16 year old said: “We didn’t see the sun for six months.”
The investigation also examines the wider role of militia groups and organised crime networks operating in Libya.
United Nations adviser Anthony Dunkerley told the programme that limited state control and competing armed groups make investigations and prosecutions particularly difficult.
Although many hostages have since been released, Kurdish officials believe some may still be in captivity. Hemn Merany from the Kurdistan Regional Government said migration attempts continue despite repeated warnings and reports of abuse.
New episodes of Intrigue: To Catch a King are released weekly on Wednesdays on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.
