51.   He said Ang allegedly approached the relatives by offering to negotiate the release of the kidnap victims and handled the ransom money.

52.   His two accomplices fled without the ransom money, authorities said.

53.   He was reunited with his family on Monday night after his mother gave a kidnapper the ransom money.

54.   Hostages are released after ransom money is paid and helicopter provided.

55.   In addition to ransom money, there were two other possible motives for the kidnapping, Ballabio said.

56.   Ingushetia has been the site of some of the recent kidnappings of foreign aid workers, journalists and other people, often blamed on Chechens seeking ransom money.

57.   It said the gang laundered the ransom money by buying mainland properties.

58.   Kulbhushan Jandiyal, a spokesman for the government, would neither confirm nor deny that the state offered ransom money to the kidnappers.

59.   Negotiations for the remaining hostages had been suspended because of rising tensions among Abu Sayyaf factions over the division of ransom money from the release of earlier hostages.

60.   Negotiators also are discussing the possibility of offering ransom money, one federal official said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.