Al-Qaida releases South African held in Mali after 6 years
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JOHANNESBURG -- Al-Qaida's North Africa branch has freed a South African man who was held hostage for six years in Mali and he is now back home, South Africa's government announced Thursday.
Stephen McGown, who was released on July 25, was the longest-held of a number of foreigners seized by Islamic extremists in Mali, where several armed groups roam the West African country's north. The extremists have made a fortune over the last decade abducting foreigners in the vast Sahel region and demanding enormous ransoms for their release.
McGown was kidnapped in 2011 at a hostel in Timbuktu, where he had been traveling as a tourist. He also has British citizenship.
"It was a big surprise when Stephen walked through the door," his father, Malcolm, told reporters. "He felt as sound and as strong as before."
