(Image Source: CNN)
BY CHARLIE MCKEAGUE
ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY
You're watching multisource world news analysis from Newsy.
And they’re free. More than 30 foreign journalists have finally left the Rixos hotel in Tripoli-- after being held there for several days.
CNN spoke with one of its own – Matthew Chance – who called in to the live broadcast as he was leaving the hotel.
“A breaking news situation here. We have now left the compound of the Rixos hotel. All of the 36 journalists that were kept inside, essentially against their will. What we all considered all along to be a hostage crisis. We have now all been allowed to go out. Its been a very complicated, frightening, emotional roller coaster over the past 5 days.”
Al Jazeera detailed the scene during the seige-- and explains who was on lockdown inside the hotel.
“It’s being described as a siege.”
“It’s a desperate situation for about 35 foreign nationals here. Brits, Americans, there’s a U.S. congressman here, there’s and Indian parliamentarian here. The situation deteriorated massively overnight when it became clear we were unable to leave the hotel on our own.”
Snipers on the roof – armed guards roaming the halls – that was the situation inside the hotel. But now – what about outside the hotel? Fox News and MSNBC report - although free – they are still surrounded by gunfire.
“Earlier today there were some reports of some gunfire in the area around the Rixos hotel …
“Right next door, you have thousands of rebel fighters pretty much jacked up after taking over the compound. It is a very delicate situation.”
So why were the journalists finally freed? According to the Washington Post…
“Chance said the journalists negotiated for their release with the armed guards, who allowed them to leave in small groups if they arranged their own transportation. They left in cars provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross, Chance tweeted.”
According to CNN’s Chance-- Gaddafi-loyalists guards believed the reporters were NATO spies – and that’s why they were being held.
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