WASHINGTON (AP) — Turkey says it has secured the release of four New York Times journalists who have been held by Libya.
A spokesman for the Turkish embassy in Washington, Rauf Denktas, says the journalists were handed over to the Turkish ambassador in Tripoli and were expected to cross the border to Tunisia Monday.
Libyan authorities say the journalists were captured last week by forces loyal to Col. Moammar Gadhafi in Ajdabiya during fighting in the eastern part of the country. The New York Times reported that the four had entered the rebel-controlled area from Egypt without visas, as many Western journalists have.
The journalists are reporter Anthony Shadid, the Times’ Beirut bureau chief; photographers Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario; and a reporter and videographer, Stephen Farrell. In 2009, Farrell was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan and was rescued by British commandos. The New York Times confirmed the release
