On 14 August 2006 Wiig was taken hostage in the Gaza Strip along with colleague Steve Centanni. Wiig and Centanni were released after 13 days in captivity, on 27 August 2006, having appeared in a videotape saying - at gunpoint - that they had "embraced Islam with the Islamic prophet Muhammad as their leader". Upon release, Olaf and Steve were reunited with family and friends. Wiig and McNaught were then taken to New York City in Rupert Murdoch's (owner of News Corp, Fox's parent company) private jet and reunited with Wiig's New Zealand family members who had flown to New York.