French hostages freed after three years' captivity in Niger arrive home
Questions remain over whether a ransom was paid to free workers held by al-Qaeda in Niger
Four Frenchmen held captive for three years by an al-Qaeda offshoot in North Africa were reunited with their families yesterday , as sources said a ransom of at least €20 million (HK$213 million) had been paid.
The four men, kidnapped by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in northern Niger in 2010, flew into a 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 honour to France".
Thierry Dol, 32, Daniel Larribe, 62, Pierre Legrand, 28, and Marc Feret, 46, were kidnapped on September 16, 2010, from a uranium compound in Arlit where they working for French nuclear giant Areva and construction group Vinci.
French authorities announced on Tuesday they had been released and the four flew back to Paris from Niger's capital Niamey a day later.
Greeted by tearful family members, the men appeared thin but in good health.
Although offered the microphone by Hollande, none of the men chose to make a public statement. In a brief remark at the airport in Niger, Dol said: "It was very difficult, but it was the test of a lifetime."