Kidnapped journalists released from hotel

INTERNATIONAL journalists were freed from the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli yesterday after being held for days by armed men loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.

The releases took place hours before four Italian journalists were kidnapped and their driver killed, apparently by Libyans loyal to dictator Gaddafi, as they travelled towards Tripoli, Italy’s foreign minister said.

The ministry said the newspaper journalists included two from the Milan daily Corriere della Sera, one from Turin’s La Stampa and one from Avvenire, a national Catholic daily.