American Peter Theo Curtis, who was held hostage for nearly two years by Islamist rebels in Syria, was released Sunday.
“Particularly after a week marked by unspeakable tragedy, we are all relieved and grateful knowing that Theo Curtis is coming home after so much time held in the clutches of (al-Nusra Front),” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement.
The United States was not involved in negotiations for his release but was aware of private efforts to secure the release, two U.S. law enforcement officials said. It’s not known whether any ransom was paid, the officials said.
Curtis, 45, is an author and freelance journalist. He writes under the name Theo Padnos.
He was born in Atlanta and graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont. Curtis holds a doctorate in comparative literature from the University of Massachusetts and is fluent in French and Arabic, according to a statement from his family. He also speaks German and Russian.
“My heart is full at the extraordinary, dedicated, incredible people, too many to name individually, who have become my friends and have tirelessly helped us over these many months,” said his mother, Nancy Curtis.
She added: “Theo has a deep concern and regard for the people of Syria, which is why he returned during the war. He wanted to help others and to give meaning and to bear witness to their struggles.
“I am very fortunate that I do not have to tell his whole story. He eventually will be able to do so himself.”
The United Nations said Curtis was handed over to U.N. peacekeepers in the Golan Heights, which is under Israeli government control, and was given a medical checkup.
White House national security adviser Susan Rice said Curtis was safe and no longer in Syria.
“We expect he will be reunited with his family shortly,” Rice said.
CNN obtained two videos that appear to have been recorded during the late stages of his captivity. In one, a gun is pointed at his head and Curtis speaks rapidly as if under duress.
He gives his name, the date and says he is a journalist from Boston.
It was unclear whether Curtis was on assignment when he was abducted in 2012.
The news comes just five days after ISIS militants released a video of one of its militants beheading American journalist James Foley.