A French journalist, Florence Aubenas, and her Iraqi interpreter have been freed in Iraq after a five-month hostage ordeal, officials in Paris today said, setting off a wave of relief in France – but also raising questions as to whether a ransom was paid.
Aubenas and the interpreter, Hussein Hanun, were “in good health,” President Jacques Chirac said in a televised address.
“On behalf of everyone, I want to express to Florence Aubenas and Hussein Hanun our happiness and that of the entire nation to know that they are free and will soon be returning to us,” he said.
After a brief stopover in Cyprus, Aubenas headed home to Paris, where she was expected late today, on a French government jet accompanied by French Foreign Minister Phillippe Douste-Blazy. Hanun returned to his family in Baghdad.