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Syria ex-hostage Peter Theo Curtis 'overwhelmed' by support | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
US journalist Peter Theo Curtis, who was taken hostage in Syria, has said he is "overwhelmed by emotion" at how many people helped his released. | |
Mr Curtis, 45, was released on Sunday after being held captive for almost two years by al-Nusra Front militants. | |
"I had no idea so much effort was being expended on my behalf," Mr Curtis said. | |
US officials had worked with more than 12 countries to help secure his release, which came days after a US journalist was beheaded in Syria. | |
"In the days following my release on Sunday, I have learned bit-by-bit that there have been literally hundreds of people - brave, determined and big-hearted people - all over the world working for my release," Mr Curtis said, speaking outside his family's home in Boston. | |
He said since returning late on Tuesday, total strangers had been welcoming him back and telling him they were glad he was home. | |
"I suddenly remember how good the American people are and what kindness they have in their hearts," he said. | |
'Unspeakable tragedy' | 'Unspeakable tragedy' |
On 20 August, the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria released a widely condemned video of the beheading of James Foley, 40, who was seized in 2012. | |
UK secret services are reportedly close to identifying a suspected British jihadist from the footage of that killing. | |
On Tuesday, Mr Curtis's mother said she was "overwhelmed with relief" after speaking to her son. | |
She said she had immediately written to James Foley's mother, Diane. | |
"We've been through so much together, and I didn't want her to hear it from the media first," Nancy Curtis told ABC from her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. | "We've been through so much together, and I didn't want her to hear it from the media first," Nancy Curtis told ABC from her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. |
Mr Curtis was reportedly abducted in Turkey on his way to Syria. | |
The United Nations confirmed that it had helped in his release, and that the journalist was handed over to UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights. | |
After an initial health check, he was then transferred to US government representatives. | |
The news of Mr Curtis's release on Sunday came as a memorial service was being held for Foley in his hometown of Rochester in New Hampshire. | |
Foley was abducted in November 2012. He had reported across the Middle East, working for US publication GlobalPost and other media outlets. | Foley was abducted in November 2012. He had reported across the Middle East, working for US publication GlobalPost and other media outlets. |
The Islamic State | |
Who are Islamic State (IS)? | Who are Islamic State (IS)? |
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