5 charged in kidnapping of NC prosecutor's father

ATLANTA (AP) — An elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team has safely rescued a North Carolina kidnap victim from an apartment complex in Atlanta, days after the man was reported missing from his home, the FBI said Thursday.

Frank Arthur Janssen had been the target of a kidnapping plot and was safely rescued by the highly trained team shortly before noon on Wednesday from an apartment in the leading Georgia city, FBI spokeswoman Shelley Lynch said in a statement.

Authorities say five people have been charged in the kidnapping of the father of a North Carolina prosecutor.

The father, Frank Arthur Janssen, of Wake Forest, was rescued from an Atlanta apartment late Wednesday.

John Strong, FBI special agent in charge in North Carolina, says Janssen's kidnapping was related to his daughter's prosecution of North Carolina prisoner Kelvin Melton, who is serving a life sentence for his 2012 conviction for being a habitual felon. He was also convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

Authorities say Janssen's kidnappers threatened to torture him and sent text messages to his wife making demands. They also sent her a picture of her husband tied up.

Authorities did not say what the demands were.

The FBI statement said Janssen was reported missing April 5 from his Wake Forest, N.C., home. The FBI said a coordinated investigation by the FBI, Wake Forest police and other law enforcement agencies had determined that Janssen had been the victim of a kidnapping and was being held in an apartment complex in Atlanta's southeast section.

WSOC