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Colombia hostage Ingrid Betancourt freed

03/07/2008

French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt has been freed after being held hostage by rebels for six years.

Ms Betancourt and 14 other hostages were released after the left-wing Farc rebels were tricked into handing them over.

Reports claim that Colombian soldiers posed as non-government organisation members before flying them to freedom by helicopter.

Speaking after her release Ms Betancourt said: "This is a miracle. There is no historical precedent for such a perfect operation."

She went on to explain her rescue, saying: "We were forced to get on the helicopter handcuffed, which was very humiliating.

"Then, all of a sudden, they disarmed the two guerrillas who were on the helicopter with us and the chief of the operation shouted, 'We are the Colombian army and you are free!'

"The helicopter almost crashed because we all started clapping and screaming and jumping up and down."

She was originally kidnapped in February 2002 during her presidential campaign in territory controlled by the rebels.

After her release, she claimed she still harboured a desire to become the country's president.

She later met with her daughter, Melanie, and her son, Lorenzo Delloye-Betancourt in Bogota.

She told reporters she was "so proud" of her children, who were 16 and 13 when she was taken hostage.

"They fought a battle, they dug deep into their characters, from the depths of their souls and fought a very beautiful battle.

"I don't know what I said to them. I think I cried... I told them that they would have to put up with me because I was going to stick to them like bubblegum and I was going to eat them up with kisses."

Among the other hostages freed today were three Americans: Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and Thomas Howes.