Drama as Egyptian hostages freed
Monday, 29 Sep 2008 16:02
Some 19 hostages have been freed by the Egyptian military, following a dramatic rescue attempt which cost the lives of several kidnappers, according to state news agency reports.
The group – which included five Germans, five Italians, a Romanian and eight Egyptians – was abducted on September 19th, and have been in captivity since.
However, no details were forth coming as to the location of the rescue. The hostages have been held at locations in Libya and Sudan.
Hostages were in good health despite the ideal; with at least half of the kidnappers were killed – although no specific number of dead was provided.
Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini told Italian reporters: "Our compatriots and the other hostages in Egypt have been freed.
"It is the result of international cooperation for which we have to be really grateful to the authorities of other countries that have been working with us."
German officials have also been negotiating with the kidnappers, who were demanding millions of dollars in ransom.
Chris O'Toole