When will the Italian hostage who was freed in the Philippines be sent back home to Italy?”
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP) — Italian aid worker Eugenio Vagni was doing “remarkably well” in hospital early Sunday after his sudden release by Filipino rebels who held him for nearly six months, officials said. The 62 year-old was taken to a military hospital on the southern Jolo island for precautionary medical checks after the Abu Sayyaf Islamist group handed him over to province vice governor Nur-Ana Sahidulla shortly after midnight. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) worker, who suffers from hernia, had been known to be ill at various times during confinement. “He’s doing remarkably well considering the number of days he spent in captivity,” ICRC spokeswoman Anastasia Isyuk told AFP. Vagni was seized by the Abu Sayyaf militant group with ICRC colleagues Andreas Notter of Switzerland and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba in January during a humanitarian mission on Jolo, a hotbed of militant activity. The gunmen freed his two fellow hostages separately under unexplained ci
Italy: Hostage freed in Philippines after 6 months ROME — An ailing Italian Red Cross worker who was kidnapped in January in the Philippines by the Abu Sayyaf rebel group was freed Saturday, officials said. No ransom was paid for the release of 63-year-old Eugenio Vagni, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in an interview with Italian state TV. Frattini gave no details about how Vagni was freed. Frattini also expressed gratitude that no government attacks were launched to free the hostage. The minister said Vagni, now in the care of the Italian Embassy in the Philippines, would be sent to Italy as soon as possible.
An ailing Italian Red Cross worker who was kidnapped in January in the Philippines by the Abu Sayyaf rebel group was freed Saturday, officials said. No ransom was paid for the release of 63-year-old Eugenio Vagni, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in an interview with Italian state TV. Frattini gave no details about how Vagni was freed. Frattini also expressed gratitude that no government attacks were launched to free the hostage. The minister said Vagni, now in the care of the Italian Embassy in the Philippines, would be sent to Italy as soon as possible. Vagni had been in Abu Sayyaf custody since Jan. 15, and troops had been ordered to rescue the Red Cross worker, who suffers from hypertension and a hernia.
