Two Italian women aid workers held hostage in Iraq for three weeks have returned home to cheers and tears, with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi leading the welcome party at Rome's Ciampino airport.
Ms Simona Pari and Ms Simona Torretta were freed by their Iraqi captors yesterday and were immediately whisked by plane back to Italy, where they have unwittingly become national heroines thanks to their ordeal.
News of their release sparked scenes of joy across the country, while Italian and world leaders breathed a sigh of relief that the crisis had ended without bloodshed.
Ms Pari and Ms Torretta, both aged 29, were abducted from their Baghdad office on September 7th along with two Iraqi colleagues. Nothing was heard of them until early on Tuesday evening when news broke that all four were safe and sound.
A Kuwaiti daily said the women's captors had agreed to free them for a $1 million ransom.
An Italian political source told Reuters a ransom was paid but it was less than $1 million. Mr Berlusconi himself made no mention of a ransom when he announced the release of the two women to parliament.
He said the secret services had located their whereabouts earlier this week, but rather than risk using violence to secure their release, the Italian government had preferred to negotiate.
He said the breakthrough came early on Tuesday "after a night which led us to a very difficult choice with two lines of pursuit which could have been mutually conflictual".
He gave no further details.