Sigal and Humbersin leave plane; greeted; into car.




Initials AA/V-S/BH/OS



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Background: Moise Tshombe's two Belgian passengers, Charles Sigal and Marcel Humbersin, returned to Brussels today (Sunday) after being held in Algiers for three months because they were passengers in the former Congolese premier's hi-jacked plane. Their release, last night, came just a week after the freeing of M. Tshombe's two British pilots. Now only, M. Tshombe and M. Bodenan are detained.

The two men appeared fit and were in high spirits. Speaking in Algiers they said their release came as a surprise. They had been held in the same military barracks as the British pilots Captain David Taylor and Captain Trevor Copleston, but saw little of them. They paid warm tribute to the pilots and said they were determined to hold a reunion with them in Brussels soon.

Both men were associates of M. Tshombe. Charles Sigal, 57 year old, was a Liege lawyer, and Marcel Humbersin, aged 46 years, an ex-Congo mercenary.

Describing the kidnapping which took place on June 30th, the Belgians said that they knew nothing about the plot. They said Frenchman Francois Bodenan pulled out a gun and ordered all the passengers to sit down. When M. Humbersin refused, they alleged Bodenan fired two shots - one went between M. Humbersin's legs, but the other hit his left heel.

On arrival in Brussels the two men were whisked away by police for interrogation on the circumstances of the hi-jacking.