German Priest Kidnapped Last Year in Mali Freed

An Africa-based religious charity says that a German missionary kidnapped a year ago in Mali has been freed by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda.

Missionaries for Africa said that Father Hans Joachim Lohre was seized in the capital, Bamako. No details are known about the circumstances of his release.

The governments of Germany and Mali have made no comment. Father Lohre has lived in Mali for 30 years, teaching inter-religious dialogue at a mixed Islamic-Christian institute. Kidnappings of foreigners frequently occur in Mali, though rarely in the capital.

Source: BBC