Libya claimed to have played a key role in securing Monday’s release of 14 European tourists kidnapped in the Sahara six months ago. The nine Germans, four Swiss and a Dutchman were on their way to Germany yesterday after being freed from Islamic extremists in the west African state of Mali. The German and Mali governments said they had conducted negotiations to secure the hostages’ release. The 14 were flown to Cologne from Bamako, the Mali capital. Family members and friends were waiting for them at the Cologne-Bonn military airport. A Swiss military plane waited at the airport to take the Swiss tourists to Zurich for reunions there. In a statement released yesterday in Berlin, the Libyan Muammar Gaddafi Foundation claimed it had negotiated between the two sides and had managed to reduce a ransom paid to the kidnappers. Full Story
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