Italian family held hostage in Mali since May 2022 returns to Rome

Three members of the Italian Langone family, abducted by an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Mali, reunite with loved ones in Rome

Three members of an Italian family who were abducted and held captive in Mali since May 2022 have returned to Rome Tuesday, according to the Italian ANSA news agency.

Rocco Langone, along with his wife Maria Caivano and their son Giovanni, arrived at Ciampino Airport where they were warmly welcomed by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and their other son, Daniele Langone.

According to Rome, the family was taken hostage by a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, known as the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, from their residence in a Jehovah’s Witnesses community on the outskirts of Koutiala, a city southeast of Bamako, the capital of Mali.

Italian authorities mentioned that the family had been residing in Mali for several years as part of a “well-integrated community of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Foreign Minister Tajani reassured that all the family members were in good health and condition.

Source: Newsroom

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