Niger: Four Frenchmen released after $28 million ransom paid

globaltimes.cn reported that four Frenchmen held captive for three years by an Al Qaeda offshoot in North Africa were reunited with their families on Wednesday, as sources said at least 20 million euros ($28 million) had been paid in ransom.

The four men, who were kidnapped by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in northern Niger in 2010, flew into the Villacoublay military airport near Paris, where they were met by their families and President Francois Hollande.

Standing alongside the four on the tarmac, Hollande expressed his “immense joy” at their return, calling them “great French citizens who brought honor to France in their captivity.” Read Article