Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Africa

South African man released by extremists in Mali, government says

Associated Press
Published | Updated

South Africa's government says a South African man has been freed from captivity after being held hostage for six years by extremists in Mali.

A statement Thursday says Stephen McGown was released on Saturday. He was kidnapped in 2011 in Timbuktu by al-Qaida's North Africa branch. He had been traveling as a tourist and also has British citizenship.

South Africa's minister for international relations confirms that McGown is now home.

The minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, says South Africa's government does not pay ransom in hostage situations.

In late June, Swedish national Johan Gustafsson was released by extremists in Mali after being kidnapped in November 2011.