Spanish journalist kidnapped in Syria by al-Qaida-linked organization released, now in Turkey

3/2/2014
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MADRID — A Spanish newspaper says that a correspondent who was kidnapped in Syria by an organization linked to al-Qaida has been released by his captors.

El Periodico says journalist Marc Marginedas, who went missing on Sept. 4, crossed over the border into Turkey early Sunday.

Veteran war correspondent Marginedas was abducted near Hama by jihadists belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The newspaper said he had been “moved repeatedly.” The Islamic fighters allegedly accused Marginedas of spying for the West.

The Spanish federation of journalist associations said in a short statement that it was delighted with the news and hoped for a similar outcome with Spanish journalists Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, also currently held in Syria.