A US marine who turned up in Beirut after being missing for 18 days from his base in Iraq was being flown to Germany today for debriefing and examination in a US military hospital.

The disappearance of a US marine who was feared to have been kidnapped by extremists in Iraq could be a hoax.

The US has “credible information” that US marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun who went missing in Iraq is safe in his native Lebanon.