Swiss officials say tourist taken hostage in North Africa is released

October 6th, 2009 Swiss gov't to decide on Polanski release appealGENEVA — The Swiss Justice Ministry says it will decide this week whether to grant a request from Roman Polanski to be released from prison. Ministry spokesman Folco Galli says the appeal by Polanski's legal team is separate from a court case it filed last week that also seeks Polanski's freedom, possibly on bail or under house arrest in Switzerland.

October 6th, 2009 Swiss reject Polanski's bid for prison releaseBERN, Switzerland — The Swiss Justice Ministry says it has rejected an appeal from Roman Polanski to be released from prison pending his possible extradition to the United States. Ministry spokesman Folco Galli told The AP on Tuesday that the government maintains there is a high risk that Polanski might flee if released from custody.

September 30th, 2009 Iran will allow Swiss access to detained AmericansWASHINGTON — U.S. officials say Iran has notified the Swiss government that the Swiss can have access to three Americans who have been detained in Iran since being arrested for illegal entry in late July.

September 20th, 2009 Swiss confirm officials visited Guantanamo campBERN, Switzerland — The Swiss Justice Ministry says officials visited the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, last month to gather information on inmates the Alpine country is considering taking in when they are released.

September 2nd, 2009 UK says it has been handed human remains in IraqLONDON — Foreign Secretary David Miliband says the U.K. is seeking to verify whether remains handed to British officials in Iraq are those of a British hostage.

August 14th, 2009 Swiss court says Haitian money can be given as aidBELLINZONA, Switzerland — A Swiss court has backed the government's plan to give aid agencies 7 million Swiss francs ($6 million) seized from bank accounts linked to Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. In a ruling published Friday, the Federal Criminal Tribunal rejected an appeal by the Duvalier family, which wants to reclaim the money.

July 12th, 2009 Swiss say hostage held in Mali has been freedBERN, Switzerland — A Swiss tourist taken hostage in North Africa in January has been released to authorities in Mali, officials said Sunday. The health of the Swiss citizen, who had been held in Mali after his capture with three other European tourists, appears to be reasonably good considering the six-month ordeal, according to information received by Swiss representatives in Mali, a Foreign Ministry official said.

June 3rd, 2009 UK: British hostage thought killed by al-QaidaLONDON — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday that a Briton held captive in Mali is believed to have been killed by al-Qaida terrorists. A statement issued in the name of al-Qaida on an Internet site frequently used for extremist messages said the captive, Edwin Dyer, was killed on Sunday.

June 3rd, 2009 British hostage thought killed by al-QaidaLONDON — Al-Qaida terrorists have killed a Briton taken hostage in Mali, the British prime minister said Wednesday. The fate of a Swiss hostage taken at the same time was unknown.

June 1st, 2009 Nigerian militants to free British hostageLAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria's main militant group says it hopes to release within hours a British hostage seized nearly nine months ago in the country's restive southern oil region. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in an e-mail on Monday that it hoped to release Matthew Maguire shortly in honor of the captive's birthday.

May 1st, 2009 Swiss: UBS case jeopardizes US tax treatyMIAMI — The government of Switzerland says an IRS attempt to obtain account information from Swiss bank UBS AG could jeopardize new tax treaty talks with the United States. The court filing in Miami claims the IRS effort violates Swiss sovereignty and Swiss law.

April 26th, 2009 Al-Qaida in threatens to kill UK hostageCAIRO — Al-Qaida in North Africa says it will kill a British hostage if the British government does not release an imprisoned radical preacher. The group said in a statement posted Sunday on an Islamist Web site that it will execute a British tourist held by the group since late January if the extremist Muslim preacher Abu Qatada is not freed in 20 days.

April 26th, 2009 Al-Qaida threatens to kill UK hostageCAIRO — Al-Qaida in North Africa said Sunday it would kill a British hostage if London does not release an imprisoned radical preacher. The group said in a statement posted on an Islamist Web site that it will execute a British tourist held by the group since late January if the extremist Muslim preacher Abu Qatada is not freed in 20 days.

April 21st, 2009 MANILA - Former Swiss Red Cross hostage Andreas Notter headed home Tuesday, four days after he walked free from Muslim militants who held him captive for more than three months on a southern Philippine island. Notter, 38, left for Hong Kong where he would take a connecting flight to Geneva, bringing along a cane and a coconut shell as reminders from his captivity on Jolo island, 1,000 km south of Manila.

April 20th, 2009 KINGSTON - An armed man is holding two passengers and five crew members hostage aboard a charter plane on the Caribbean island of Jamaica, media reports said Monday. The news channel CNN reported that the hostage taker has now released all but two of the 150 passengers scheduled to be on the flight, and continues to hold five crew members.