InfoAnda - Austrian pair freed by Al-Qaeda ready to go home

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Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Secondary Navigation Top Stories Full Coverage Most Popular Photos Search Search: Austrian pair freed by Al-Qaeda ready to go home AFP - 2 hours 44 minutes ago BAMAKO (AFP) - - Two Austrians kidnapped in the Tunisian desert eight months ago by the north African offshoot of Al-Qaeda prepared to go home Saturday after being freed and handed over to authorities in Mali. Wolfgang Ebner, 51, and his partner Andrea Kloiber, 44, were freed Thursday night after 252 days in captivity. Circumstances surrounding their release remain unclear. They arrived in Mali's capital Bamako late Friday and were to appear at a brief ceremony on Saturday alongside Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, who traveled here to take the pair home. "I want to thank Mali again for this gesture," Plassnik told reporters. Speaking by telephone to Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure, Plassnik said: "I want to thank you Mr President for your personal involvement in the release of my compatriots. "I hope you understand the joy but also the desire of my two compatriots to be reunited with their families rather quickly." Ebner and Kloiber, both desert hiking enthusiasts, disappeared in southern Tunisia in February as they were driving in their Austrian-registered four-wheel-drive vehicle. A few weeks later, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for their kidnapping. The hostages were moved to northern Mali -- a region that borders Algeria -- where the kidnappers initially demanded the release of a number of Islamic extremists imprisoned in Algeria and Tunisia. They subsequently demanded a five million euro (6.4 million dollar) ransom, according to unconfirmed press reports. Austrian special envoy Anton Prohaska said no ransom was paid to the kidnappers. Vienna had previously stated it would not negotiate the hostages' release in return for a ransom. The diplomat said the kidnappers had been "under pressure" from local leaders in the Sahara. "The kidnappers were in land that belongs to tribes. So these tribes also helped in the release," Prohaska said, adding that Malian security forces had also played a vital role. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Most Popular – Top Stories Viewed Japan joins wave of rate cuts as recession fears grow Schwarzenegger mocks Obama as campaign home stretch heats up Australian F1 race posts record financial loss BBC chief quits, star presenter suspended over offensive prank When men see red, they see hot: study View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology

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