The Local France

French hostage released after four years of captivity in Mali

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 10:25:38 +0200

A French aid worker kidnapped in Mali in 2016 and the country's main opposition leader have landed to emotional reunions with their families after their release, along with two Italian hostages.

How 'ex-British soldier' got embroiled in Nice kidnapping

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 12:15:27 +0100

A man believed to be a British ex-soldier arrested over the botched kidnap of a French Riviera hotel owner has told of how his life spiralled out of control after being injured in Afghanistan and he ended up living rough on the streets of Nice.

Former British soldier charged over Nice kidnapping plot

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 09:44:50 +0100

France on Sunday charged an Italian restaurateur, a homeless former British special forces soldier and a one-time paparazzi photographer over the kidnapping of a French hotel magnate, a prosecutor said.

Restaurant boss suspected of kidnapping Cannes millionaire

Fri, 28 Oct 2016 17:51:15 +0200

The former manager of a gourmet restaurant in the French resort city of Nice is suspected of ordering the kidnapping of a hotel magnate, who was found bound in the back of a van, investigators said Friday.

Kidnapped Riviera millionaire left tied up in car boot in Nice

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 16:11:57 +0200

The millionaire Riviera business woman who was kidnapped in broad daylight in Nice two days ago has been found alive after being abandoned by her kidnappers.

Millionaire Riviera hotel boss kidnapped in broad daylight

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 10:19:50 +0200

The millionaire head of a luxury hotel in the French Riviera resort of Cannes was kidnapped in Nice in front of shocked onlookers in the middle of the day on Monday.

France's child abductor 'abused a minor before'

Tue, 18 Aug 2015 12:45:42 +0200

The man arrested for kidnapping four-year-old Rifki over the weekend had previously been held by police in France for molesting a minor, it was reported on Tuesday.

French cops find missing boy 450km from home

Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:22:25 +0200

After police launched a national alert for a missing four-year-old boy on Sunday, witnesses found him on a train some 450 kilometres from where he was last seen.

Dad dodges prison after snatching kid's killer

Wed, 18 Jun 2014 12:57:00 +0200

The incredible tale of a father who arranged a kidnapping in order to bring his daughter's killer to justice in France avoided prison time on Tuesday for the abduction. The father took matters into his own hands after Germany refused to extradite the suspect.

French journalists found dead after Mali kidnap

Sun, 03 Nov 2013 10:34:00 +0100

Two journalists with Radio France Internationale (RFI) were found dead on Saturday after being kidnapped by armed men while working in Mali's far northeast, government and security sources said.

French photographer tells of Syria kidnap

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 16:43:00 +0200

A French photographer who spent 81 days in captivity in war-torn Syria at the hands of an armed Islamist group, has told of his kidnap ordeal a week after his release, recalling mock executions and scenes of torture.

Hollande holds out hope for Al-Qaeda hostages

Sun, 23 Jun 2013 12:03:00 +0200

French President Francois Hollande said Sunday that he had "every reason to believe that the hostages are alive", and that Paris was "always seeking contacts" to free them.

Nigeria rules out ransom for kidnapped French

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 07:16:00 +0100

Nigeria on Saturday ruled out a ransom payment to the kidnappers holding seven members of a French family as France's foreign minister held talks with President Goodluck Jonathan on the abductions.

Missing girl found alive in car boot in Germany

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:24:00 +0100

A 15-year-old girl whose disappearance from her home in southern France sparked a nationwide hunt has been found alive in the boot of a car in Germany, police sources said on Friday.

Newborn baby taken from hospital in Marseille

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 12:20:00 +0200

Police are searching for a woman after a new born baby was taken from a hospital in Marseille early Tuesday morning.

Three arrested after kidnapping in Marseilles

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 12:16:06 +0200

A man and two accomplices were arrested on Monday following the kidnapping of a man from a block of flats in Marseilles.

Boy, 14, held in cellar for €150 ransom

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:15:16 +0200

A 14-year-old boy was kidnapped overnight the Pontoise area of Ile de France, North West of Paris – for a €150 ransom.

Kidnappers free 3 French hostages in Yemen

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:03:00 +0100

Al-Qaeda militants have freed three French aid workers they kidnapped in Yemen more than five months ago, the French presidency and local officials said on Monday.

Kidnappers demand cash for Frenchwoman's body

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:10:00 +0200

The Somali kidnappers of disabled Frenchwoman Marie Dedieu, who died after being snatched from her home in Kenya, are demanding a ransom for the return of her body, France's defence minister said on Thursday.

France confirms death of kidnapped woman

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:32:00 +0200

Marie Dedieu, 66, a handicapped Frenchwoman who was kidnapped from her beachfront Kenyan home and taken to neighbouring Somalia has died, the French government confirmed on Wednesday.