Fourteen European tourists arrived in Germany aboard a military plane on Wednesday, two days after they were released by al-Qaida-linked extremists based in Algeria who had held them hostage of six months. Despite the rigors of their captivity, the former hostages nine Germans, four Swiss and one Dutch man ambled easily off the plane and on to a bus that whisked them away for reunions with waiting family members. Several wore track suits that replaced the ragged desert robes they wore when they emerged from the desert, and some carried belongings they’d retained throughout the ordeal in red plastic bags. One gave TV cameras a thumbs-up. A waiting Swiss air force jet returned the four Swiss to Zurich, where they waved to reporters as they got off the plane. German Deputy Foreign Minister Juergen Chrobog, who made three trips to Mali to help negotiate the hostages’ release and accompanied them back to Germany, described their health as “extraordinarily good.” Full Story
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