hostages

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1 American Dead in Algeria Standoff

2 others may still be in captivity

(Newser) - At least one American is among the dead in the Algerian hostage standoff, reports AP . It identifies him as Texas resident Frederick Buttaccio and says US officials recovered his remains from the sprawling gas complex today. NBC News say he was one of five Americans at the plant: Two others...

Algerian Militants Tell US to Free 2 Jailed Terrorists

Report says they will free US hostages in return

(Newser) - A day after Algeria said it had wrapped up its mission to free hostages held by militants at a desert gas facility, the situation remains anything but wrapped up. By most accounts, dozens of hostages are still being held, with an unspecified number of Americans among them. Some developments:
  • New
...

Algerian Hostage Raid Over —Casualties Still Unclear

Government confirms some hostages are dead

(Newser) - Algeria says its mission to free about 40 foreign hostages—including Americans—is now over, but there's still no clear information about how many of the captives survived, reports AP . The Algerian government confirms that some hostages were killed in the raid on a gas facility in the desert,...

Americans Taken Hostage in Algerian Attack

Seven believed to be among 41 taken at BP gas field

(Newser) - Americans were among the foreigners taken hostage today in an attack on a BP natural gas field in Algeria, US officials have confirmed. An al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist group has claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it retaliation for France's incursion into Mali, Reuters reports. The militants are still occupying the...

LAPD Busts 3 in Nordstrom Robbery, Hostage-Taking

14 employees were held last week

(Newser) - Two men and one woman were arrested over the weekend on suspicion of holding 14 employees hostage at a Los Angeles-area Nordstrom Rack last week, the LA Times reports. The incident started late Thursday and lasted about four and a half hours; the employees were taken captive while suspects robbed...

4 Dead in Aurora, Colorado, After Shooting

Gunman killed three inside home, say police

(Newser) - Another shooting with multiple fatalities in Aurora, Colorado : Police say four people are dead, including the gunman, after an hours-long standoff. Details are still filling in, but the Denver Post and the AP report:
  • The gunman killed two men and a woman inside a townhouse in the Denver suburb. Another
...

German Gunman Kills Self, 4 Others
German Gunman Kills Self, 4 Others

German Gunman Kills Self, 4 Others

Took hostages as girlfriend was being evicted

(Newser) - A heavily armed man whose girlfriend was being evicted from her apartment today killed four people, including the new owner and a court bailiff who were shot execution style, before turning a shotgun on himself, German authorities said. A commando team stormed the apartment in the southern German city of...

18 Taliban Hostages Freed as Siege Continues

Likely many more captives in Kabul hotel

(Newser) - Afghan police have freed 18 hostages and killed two Taliban gunmen who stormed a popular lakeside hotel in Kabul tonight, Reuters reports. But the siege continues and the militants are still holding more captives, and have reportedly killed a hotel guard, officials warned. "Two terrorists have been killed, and...

Gunman Takes 4 Hostages in Toulouse
 Toulouse Gunman in Custody 
UPDATED

Toulouse Gunman in Custody

All 4 hostages believed to be safe

(Newser) - A self-proclaimed al-Qaeda member has been detained after taking several people hostage in a Toulouse bank today, the BBC reports. The gunman fired a shot after first demanding money; he later released two of his four hostages. French media reported he was in custody after more gunfire was heard; the...

Hostages Disarmed Courthouse Gunman

Sex assault suspect shot, ran over own daughter

(Newser) - The shooting spree at a Texas courthouse yesterday could have been deadlier if not for the bravery of hostages, police say. After Bartholomew Granger opened fire on family members, injuring three people and killing a bystander, he shot at police officers, and attempted to get away in his truck before...

British, Italian Hostages Die in Failed Nigeria Rescue

David Cameron says last-chance mission to save pair fails

(Newser) - One British and one Italian hostage held in Nigeria have been killed during a rescue attempt by Nigerian and UK forces, British Prime Minister David Cameron said today. Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara, both engineers, were captured in northern Nigeria in May. Cameron says it looks as if both hostages...

Kidnapper Sues His Former Hostages
Kidnapper Sues His
Former Hostages

Kidnapper Sues His Former Hostages

He says they broke deal to hide him from police

(Newser) - Some lucky judge in Kansas gets this one: A convicted kidnapper is suing the couple he held hostage because he says they broke an "oral contract" to hide him from police in exchange for money, reports the Topeka Capital-Journal . Instead, they snuck out of the house when he fell...

Iraq Insurgents Hold Police Hostage

Mayor also held captive following break-in, suicide attack in al-Baghdadi

(Newser) - Insurgents have stormed an Iraqi police station and taken police and officials—including the town’s mayor—hostage. Insurgents poured into the western town’s station disguised as police and opened fire; one insurgent detonated a suicide bomb, officials tell the AP . The officials taken hostage were working in offices...

Somali Pirates Free Danish Family

Three children were among those held hostage

(Newser) - The Danish family held hostage by Somali pirates since February has been released and is safe. Jan Quist Johansen, his wife, their three children between the ages of 12 and 16, and two adult crew members are in “relatively good condition,” according to Denmark’s foreign ministry and...

Pirate Hostages Plead for Help in YouTube Video

Danes, Filipinos urge ship's owner to secure their freedom

(Newser) - A shipping industry group has released a harrowing video of Danish and Filipino seamen being held hostage by Somali pirates. The men, who were seized when pirates hijacked a Danish cargo ship in January, plead for their freedom in the video, which Save Our Seafarers says it uploaded to YouTube...

Taliban Releases Kidnapped French Journalists

Osama bin Laden believed to have personally threatened to kill them

(Newser) - Taliban militants today released a pair of French journalists they’ve been holding for 547 days. Hervé Ghesquière and Stéphan Taponier were nabbed along with three Afghans back in December 2009, France 24 reports. The interpreter has also been released, but there’s no word on the fixer...

Somali Pirates Out of Space for Captured Ships

They're starting to accept lower ransoms because they've got too many

(Newser) - Good news/bad news time, shipping industry. The good news: Somali pirates are starting to accept lower ransoms for ships! Bad news: It’s because they’ve captured so many they’re running out of places to put the dang things. The ports at Haradheere, Eyl, and Hobyo are jam-packed with...

Somali Pirates Torturing Hostages

Bandits use captives as human shields

(Newser) - Somali pirates beat, tortured, and threatened to kill captured South Korean sailors, the Telegraph reports. “Pirates trampled and beat me whenever I talked with my captain,” said one of the seven rescued sailors, who went home yesterday. “I lost my four front teeth after being hit by...

Bin Laden Threatens Hostages
Bin Laden Threatens Hostages

Bin Laden Threatens Hostages

French captives will die unless troops leave Afghanistan

(Newser) - Osama bin Laden has released a new audiotape imploring France to withdraw its troops from Muslim lands in exchange for the release of French nationals held hostage in Niger. “President Nicolas Sarkozy’s refusal to remove his forces from Afghanistan is nothing but a green light for killing the...

Police Seize Sword-Wielding Teen Who Took 20 Tots Hostage

Boy is 'unstable,' French cops report

(Newser) - French police stormed a pre-school today and apprehended a sword-wielding 17-year-old who’d taken several small children and their teacher hostage. The teen, armed with a sword in each hand, had initially taken 20 children hostage, but released 13 of them throughout the morning. A fourteenth “more or less...

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