Italy says 2 kidnapped Italians, 1 Canadian freed in Libya

ROME — Italy’s Foreign Ministry says a Canadian citizen and two Italians who were kidnapped in southern Libya in September were freed overnight and brought safely to Italy early Saturday morning.

The ministry says the release of the three men was due to “the efficient collaboration of local Libyan authorities,” but it didn’t provide further details. The men were brought to Italy on a special flight.

They were kidnapped on Sept. 19 by armed and masked men who blocked their vehicle in Ghat, a city in the Sahara desert near the border with Algeria.

The ministry identified the Canadian citizen of Italian origin, as Frank Poccia, and the Italians as Danilo Calonego and Bruno Cacace.