27 November 2009 / AP, MOGADISHU
Two foreign journalists freed after more than a year in captivity flew to neighboring Kenya, Somalia’s national security minister said on Thursday.
Canadian Amanda Lindhout and Australian Nigel Brennan early on Thursday flew out of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in a chartered plane, Mohamed Abdullahi said. Journalists waiting at Mogadishu airport were not able to speak to Lindhout and Brennan because the pair was in a convoy of vehicles full of government soldiers and African Union peacekeepers. Lindhout and Brennan were released on Wednesday. Police spokesman Col. Abdullahi Hassan Barise declined to say if a ransom was paid for their release. A police officer and a lawmaker said late Wednesday that a $700,000 ransom was paid for the two journalists’ release. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media on the issue. It was not possible to independently verify their claim. In Australia, Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh said on Thursday that Brennan “has revealed that he had been pistol whipped and locked in chains for the past 10 months after a failed escape attempt.
