French President Francois Hollande (R) and Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (L) watch as former French hostage Daniel Larribe (2ndR) is welcomed by relatives on the tarmac upon his arrival at Villacoublay military airport, near Paris, October 30, 2013. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen
NIAMEY/PARIS (Reuters) - Four Frenchmen held hostage in the Sahara desert by al Qaeda-linked gunmen for three years flew home and were reunited with their families on Wednesday, with Paris dismissing media reports it had paid a ransom for their release.
The men, kidnapped in 2010 while working for French nuclear group Areva and a subsidiary of construction group Vinci in northern Niger, were freed on Tuesday after secret negotiations conducted by the government of Niger.
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