Italian man imprisoned in Syria freed after almost 3 years - PM's office

An Italian man imprisoned in Syria for almost three years has been freed, the Italian prime minister's office said on Wednesday. "Italian compatriot Alessandro Sandrini was freed at the end of an extensive activity conducted, in foreign territory, in a coordinated and synergic manner by Italian intelligence, judicial police and the Foreign Ministry crisis unit," the PM's office said in a statement. Alessandro Sandrini, a 32-year-old from the northern city of Brescia, flew to Turkey in October 2016 for a holiday.