kidnapping

US hostage freed in Niger: defence minister

Niamey (AFP) - An American citizen kidnapped by gunmen in Niger earlier this week has been freed, the country's defence minister told AFP on Saturday.The hostage, Philip Walton, was abducted Monday night on the outskirts of Massalata, a village about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border with Nigeria."I confirm the American hostage was released last night," minister Issoufou Katambe said, without giving details of the circumstances of the release or the hostage's whereabouts.Local officials had said this week that the kidnappers had called the man's father to demand a ransom, though the fa...

American citizen kidnapped in Niger

Niamey (AFP) - An American citizen has been kidnapped by gunmen in southern Niger, a senior official told AFP on Tuesday.The American, described as the son of a missionary living in Niger, was abducted by six men armed with Kalashnikovs on the outskirts of Massalata, a village about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border with Nigeria, said the prefect of the Birni Nkonni department, Ibrahim Abba Lele.They left on three motorcycles, heading for the border, he said, an account confirmed by the village chief, Ibrahim Dagual.A man named Bruce Walton told local radio station Niyya that his son P...