Kidnapped Greek businessman rescued after 6-month captivity

ATHENS, Greece – Police on the Greek island of Crete have rescued a local businessman held by kidnappers for six months.

Authorities said 54-year-old Michalis Lebidakis was freed in a raid Monday at an industrial site outside the city of Rethymno. Eight people were arrested.

Public Order Minister Nikos Toskas said Lebidakis was “tired and shaken but in good health,” adding that no ransom payment had been made.

Lebidakis, who runs a plastics company, was snatched at gunpoint on March 30.

Kidnappings are rare in Greece. In 2009, shipping magnate Pericles Panagopoulos was kidnapped in Athens and released after his family paid a ransom. The kidnappers were later arrested.