French hostage was swapped for two jailed al-Qaida members

BAMAKO, Mali, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A French citizen freed after three years by an al-Qaida affiliate in Mali was part of a prisoner exchange involving two militants.

French President Francois Hollande announced the release of Serge Lazarevic, 50, Tuesday, without mentioning if a ransom had been paid.

France has repeatedly claimed it offers no ransom for its citizens detained in other countries but European countries often pay ransom through intermediaries, a major source of revenue for militant groups.

Islamist militants kidnapped at least 14 French nationals in West Africa before the French military restored order in northern Mali in 2013. At the announcement Tuesday, Hollande said there are no more French hostages anywhere in the world.

Lazarevic's release was facilitated by the freeing of two militants from a Malian prison, each a member of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb jailed for his alleged part in kidnapping Lazarevic. A prison official in Bamako, Mali's capital, said the two men were flown to neighboring Niger over the weekend, the BBC reported.

French cabinet minister Stephane Le Foll said negotiations regarding a prisoner swap had occurred but said nothing of a ransom. No details about Lazarevic's freedom have been released by French authorities.

Alain Marsaud, a former judge in anti-terrorism cases, said he suspects that some form of payment was made. "If it isn't the government, it's someone: maybe a business or an insurance company," he told French radio after Lazarevic's release.