Injured British journalist smuggled out of Syria

Sarkozy retracts statement in which he claimed a French journalist was also rescued

British photographer Paul Conroy was extracted from Syria on Tuesday after being injured last week, AP reported. In the afternoon Sarkozy said French journalist was also smuggled out, but retracted his statement in the evening.

Conroy’s wife expressed relief over her husband’s rescue — even as she expressed concern for other journalists still trapped in the besieged city of Homs. She described the news of his departure as “superb,” but declined to comment further for fear of jeopardizing anyone else.

“I just don’t want to do anything that would put anyone’s life at risk,” she said.

Paul Conroy, who works for Britain’s The Sunday Times newspaper, was smuggled out of the central city of Homs after a Feb. 22 attack that killed two other Western reporters.

The Syrian opposition group Local Coordination Committees and the global activist group Avaaz said Conroy had been whisked to safety in neighboring Lebanon. Britain’s Foreign Office also confirmed he was safe and well in Lebanon.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday afternoon that an injured French journalist injured in the same attack had been evacuated from Syria after tough negotiations. Later in the day he took back that claim, saying “It is not confirmed that Madame Bouvier is today safe in Lebanon.”

Sarkozy had told reporters on Tuesday in the southern city of Montpellier that Edith Bouvier suffered “multiple fractures” in an attack and that he’s “glad that this nightmare is over.”

Bouvier works for the daily Le Figaro and was covering the Syrian regime’s bloody crackdown on anti-government movement.

Marie Colvin, 56, a veteran correspondent for The Sunday Times, and Frenchman Remi Ochlik, 28, a photojournalist, died in that rocket attack in Homs.