German hostage freed by Islamic State in Syria in June - die Welt am Sonntag paper

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man held hostage for about a year in Syria by fighters of Islamic State was released in June after the government did a deal with the militant group, die Welt am Sonntag newspaper said on Sunday.

Citing German security sources, the newspaper said the Islamists, who last week released a video showing the beheading of an American journalist, were given something for the man's release but did not specify the nature of the trade-off.