Negotiators ‘at work’ to free an Australian professor and team taken hostage in PNG

“I’m positive, I’m optimistic, I’m praying we get the five out,” he said.

The prime minister said the gunmen descended into a village and were confronted by police, who discovered they had the researchers with them.

The professor’s university declined to comment. This imprint has chosen not to name the kidnapped Australian due to the sensitivity of the situation.

The Foreign Office declined to comment on the records.

The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, the national police force, has been contacted for comment.