DHAKA: An Italian war reporter and a Belgian writer who were kidnapped in Syria in April were freed on Sunday, the Italian government said.

A few hours after the announcement, Domenico Quirico, a correspondent for the Turin daily La Stampa, stepped off a plane at a Rome airport and was embraced by Italy’s foreign minister.

The Belgian man, Pierre Piccinin, was also free and was flown to Italy along with Quirico, premier Enrico Letta’s office said in a statement, The Straits Times publishes this report on Monday.

Letta’s office said ‘hope had never faded’ for Quirico’s safe return but gave no details on how he became free, nor said who had held him.

BDST: 1714 HRS, SEPT 09, 2013
RoR/GCP