US Says American Held In Syria Has Been Freed

An American journalist kidnapped and held hostage for nearly two years by an al-Qaida-linked group in Syria was released Sunday, less than a week after the horrific execution of American journalist James Foley by Islamic militants. The freed American is 45-year-old Peter Theo Curtis of Massachusetts, who wrote under the byline Theo Padnos. White House national security adviser Susan Rice said Curtis is now safe outside of Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry said Curtis was held by Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as the Nusra Front, an al-Qaida-linked militant group fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. A senior administration official said Curtis was released in the Golan Heights, where he was met by U.S. government personnel who were transporting him to Tel Aviv. The official was not authorized to speak by name and discussed the release on the condition of anonymity. It was not known what prompted Curtis' release or if any of the captors' demands had been met. http://apne.ws/1wpYqu3 http://bit.ly/1fJ5yqZ