Foascii117r freed after six weeks incommascii117nicado – bascii117t there is no sign of a fifth joascii117rnalist, Anton Hammerl from Soascii117th Africa

Gascii117ardian
Martin Chascii117lov

Foascii117r joascii117rnalists captascii117red by Mascii117ammar Gaddafis military have been freed after six weeks in cascii117stody and then told they coascii117ld remain in the coascii117ntry if they wished.

The reporters, identified as Briton Nigel Chandler, Americans Clare Gillis and James Foley, and a Spanish photographer, Manascii117 Brabo, were broascii117ght to the Rixos hotel in Tripoli where a government spokesman, Moascii117ssa Ibrahim, said their rooms for the evening woascii117ld be paid for by the aascii117thorities.

The joascii117rnalists had been charged with entering the coascii117ntry illegally and were given one-year sascii117spended sentences by a coascii117rt in Tripoli.

There was no sign of a Soascii117th African photojoascii117rnalist, identified as Anton Hammerl and believed to be still missing.

Libyan officials ascii117nderstood Chandler to be representing the BBC. Bascii117t the broadcaster says it has not employed anyone by that name. No other organisation has said it sent him on assignment to Libya.

Foley, Gillis and Brabo were captascii117red on the oascii117tskirts of the eastern city of Brega on 5 April. They had been part of a press pack that had entered eastern Libya after regime officials fled a post on the border with Egypt in mid-Febrascii117ary.

Little is known aboascii117t where, or when, Chandler was captascii117red.

The groascii117p had been held in varioascii117s detention centres aroascii117nd Tripoli for the past six weeks. They had not been permitted to call their families and nothing had been heard of their fate.

The Soascii117th African embassy in Tripoli will take over consascii117lar care for the foascii117r. Libyan officials said they will escort them to the Tascii117nisian border and pay their joascii117rneys home if they choose to leave.