The 14 European tourists held hostage in Mali will not arrive in the capital Bamako today. They have been freed, according to the country's military authorities, but bad weather continues to delay their flight from northern Mali, where they have been gathered from diverse locations over the course of the afternoon. The German foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, says the picture is still very confused. His junior minister, Juergen Chrobog, said earlier he was hopeful they would arrive in Bamako this afternoon, where an airbus equipped with medical supplies is ready to fly the hostages home. The group of nine Germans, four Swiss and one Dutch national has been held for some five months. Michaela Spitzer, a German hostage, died in captivity in June. The tourists were travelling in the Algerian Sahara desert when they were seized by armed group before being moved over the border to northern Mali. 17 other European tourists were captured around the same time, also in the Algerian Sahara. They were rescued in mid-May by Algerian commandos. The group is said to be named the Salafist Group for Da'wa and Combat, which is fighting for Algerian Islamic state. The German government has denied reports that the kidnappers were paid a ransom of 4.6 million euro. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Germany's foreign ministry secretary of state Juergen Chrobog (C) talks to his Malian counterpart Iassana Traore at Bamako airport. Chrobog arrived for the evacuation of European hostages.(AFP/Seyllou Diallo)