News In Brief

French citizens back home after Libyan airport delay

The immediate problem of 37 French citizens prevented from leaving Libya appeared to be on the way to being resolved, but the incident has served to highlight diplomatic tensions between Paris and Tripoli.

Three of the French citizens, whose passports were seized on Sunday as they prepared to board an airplane, returned to Paris Wednesday night and the rest were expected back Thursday, airport sources said. The Libyan Embassy in Paris sought to play down the incident, saying the French citizens had merely been delayed for identity checks. The arrest of a Libyan agent in Paris was believed to have caused the trouble.