French Hostage Freed

Radio New Zealand reports that a French engineer held for more than a month was freed when his captors encountered a Coalition checkpoint:

Bernard Planche was released by his captors near Abu Ghraib prison, west of Baghdad, and is with the U.S. military.

Iraqi police say it appeared the captors were trying to move Mr Planche from one area to another when they encountered a joint U.S. and Iraqi army checkpoint.

They then bundled him out of their car and escaped.

A little known militant group called the "Surveillance for the Sake of Iraq Brigade" is believed to have been behind the kidnapping.

Gee, and France didn't have to release a vicious murderer.

Also posted at The Jawa Report.