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Freed Austrian hostages home after 8 month ordeal
01 Nov 2008 18:12:46 GMT
 Source: Reuters
VIENNA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Two Austrians freed after being held hostage in the Sahara for months by Islamic militants were tired but healthy when they arrived back in Austria on Saturday for medical checks, two days after their release.

Andrea Kloiber, 43, and Wolfgang Ebner, 51, disappeared in February while on holiday in Tunisia and are believed to have been held by al Qaeda's North African wing in a remote desert area of Mali.

They landed in Vienna late on Saturday without making a public appearance on medical advice. They were taken to a military hospital in the capital by helicopter and are in relatively good health, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Earlier on Saturday Kloiber, wearing traditional Malian dress and a yellow turban, and Ebner, in khaki trousers and a black tee-shirt, appeared at a brief news conference in Bamako before being driven to the airport.

"We are happy to be Austrians and our compatriots can't imagine how secure their lives are in Austria, and what the rest of the world lives like," Ebner said.

It was not immediately clear how the pair had been freed.

Al Qaeda had warned that any attempt to launch a military operation to free them could result in their death.

Some media have reported a ransom was paid, despite denials by the Austrian and Malian governments.

"Mali has not received a single penny from Austria for any transaction, Mali has not paid anything in any transaction," Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure told the news conference.

"A ransom payment definitely did not come from Austria," said Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal.

The freed hostages were accompanied by Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik. They are expected to travel to their home town, Salzburg, after their hospital visit.

"The next time you come to Mali on holiday, stick to Bamako and (smaller town) Segou," Mali's Toure told Ebner before the pair left for home. (Reporting by Sylvia Westall in Vienna, Tiemoko Diallo and Rainer Schwenzfeier in Bamako, Writing by Daniel Magnowski and Sylvia Westall, editing by Tim Pearce)


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A video grab shows freed Austrian hostages Andrea Kloiber (L) and Wolfgang Ebner standing in front of the Mali national flag during a news conference in Bamako, Mali November 1, 2008. ...


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Last updated:Sat Nov 1 18:14:51 2008