Sahara hostages asked to pay up
German tourists taken hostage in the Sahara desert this year have been told to pay for being rescued. One of them, Rainer Bracht, said the Foreign Ministry asked him for about 2,300 euros, a fraction of the total. He said the request was “totally populist”, and that victims of violence should not have to pay. The nine Germans were among 14 European tourists freed in August more than five months after being seized in small groups by Islamic militants in Algeria. A 15th tourist, a German woman, died during the ordeal. Full Story