President urges French to travel carefully after release of hostage held by al-Qaida
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President Francois Hollande has urged French citizens not to travel to areas where they risk being kidnapped, as he greeted a Frenchman returning after being held hostage for three years by al-Qaida's North Africa branch.
Serge Lazarevic arrived in France early Wednesday at the Villacoublay airport outside Paris after being released in what some suspect was a prisoner exchange. His release revived questions about whether governments should negotiate with hostage-takers.
Lazarevic repeatedly thanked Hollande and the government "for having done everything to free me" — but neither he nor Hollande detailed what led to his liberation.
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Hollande expressed "extraordinary joy" at Lazarevic's return, and urged his compatriots to "avoid zones at risk."
Lazarevic was kidnapped from a hotel in northeastern Mali in November 2011.