Italian and Canadian technicians kidnapped in Libya return safely to Europe

The hostages were held for nearly two months

Two Italian hostages who were kidnapped in Southern Libya, Bruno Cacace (L) and Danilo Calonego (R) leave a police station after being debriefed (EPA/Giuseppe Lami)

Two Italians and a Canadian hostage have been released from captivity in Libya, after being held by an armed group for nearly two months.

Danilo Calonego, 66, and Bruno Cacace, 56, and Canadian Frank Poccia were in good health when they returned to Italy in the early hours of Saturday and had not been mistreated in captivity, government officials said.

Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi said: “Today is a moment of relief and joy that I would like to share with the families of our technicians.”

He also thanked Libyan authorities and their security forces.

The men were freed “due to the effective cooperation with local Libyan authorities,” according to a statement by the Italian government.

The technicians were working on a construction project at the airport of Ghat, a southern town close to the border with Algeria, when on 19 September, gunmen blocked their vehicle and took them hostage. It is not yet known which group they were aligned with, if any, though numerous armed outfits operate in the area.

Italy’s foreign ministry said the three arrived in Italy at around 3am local time (2am GMT) on Saturday. It was not clear when Mr Poccia might return to Canada. It was also unclear if any ransom had been paid to the kidnappers.

The intelligence services of all three countries involved took part in the recovery effort, according to Italian officials.

Libya has been wracked by lawlessness ever since the civil war began in 2011.

However, a number of Italian companies have maintained a presence in Libya, a former colony.

In July 2015, four Italians working for a construction company were kidnapped near an oil field operated by Italian fossil fuel giant ENI in the region of Mellitah, west of Tripoli.

Two of the hostages were killed more than six months into their ordeal, likely in clashes between Jihadis and local militiamen.

The other two were freed in March this year, in a raid on Isis hideouts near the capital Tripoli.