US marines discover hostage in Fallujah

A Syrian man believed to have been the driver captured along with two French journalists by militants in August has been found in Fallujah, US marine officials said this morning.

The man, discovered late last night in handcuffs in an undisclosed location in the city, told military officials he had been separated from the journalists about a month ago.

On August 20, French journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot disappeared along with their Syrian driver Mohammed al-Joundi on a trip to the holy city of Najaf.

A militant group calling itself “the Islamic Army in Iraq” claimed to hold the men and demanded that France revoke a new law banning Islamic head scarves from state schools.

The former hostage told officials the three had been ambushed on the highway, as they were heading to meet Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, by men in two cars - a white Mercedes and a Korean-made car.

At one point, the man was blindfolded and interrogated by his captors in a room where he saw a black flag with crossed swords.

The man also said that he saw several other hostages being held, including two Czech nationals – one of whom was injured. He did not specify how many others he saw.

The hostage said he doesn’t know what happened to the two Frenchmen after their captors separated him from them about a month ago, but he had no reason to believe they were still being held in Fallujah.