PARIS - The head of a French relief group said yesterday he had no knowledge of any ransom demand being made for two of its volunteers kidnapped by gunmen in Chechnya.
The Russian Interfax news agency said on Saturday that kidnappers had demanded a ransom of $500,000 (£312,500) for a Frenchman, Mr Frederic Malardeau (35), and a Briton, Mr Michael Penrose (23), who disappeared in Grozny on July 27th.
"For the time being, no one has contacted us, we have received no ransom demand" Mr Jose Bitgin, head of the Paris based International Action Against Hunger, told Europe-1 radio.