As soon as they are certain the people are safe they will make an announcement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jens Plötner said Monday afternoon.

The group of five Germans, five Italians and a Romanian, as well as eight Egyptian drivers and guides, was snatched by masked bandits while on a desert safari to view prehistoric art in Egypt’s remote southwest on September 12. The kidnappers then asked the German government to pay a ransom of €6 million.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini confirmed the release of the five Italian hostages on Monday, adding that they were already undergoing medical examinations.