2 hostages freed by al-Qaeda make 1st public appearances
None
Two men released from al-Qaida captivity after six years in northern Mali made their first public appearances Thursday, recounting their ordeals and saying they were not clear whether any ransom was paid for their freedom.
"I think it's wrong to pay ransoms," 42-year-old Johan Gustafsson, who was freed in June, told reporters in Sweden. "I hope they let me out because they were tired of me." Sweden has insisted it never paid any ransom and that his release was obtained through negotiations.
Gustafsson and 42-year-old Stephen McGown were 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 told reporters in South Africa he didn't know whether any ransom was paid for his release in late July. He said he was well-treated during his long years in the desert, but "you always knew you were a prisoner."
