US journalist released after two years captivity in Syria

World Today

The White House has confirmed that American journalist Peter Theo Curtis has been freed after being held in Syria for two years.

Theo Curtis disappeared in Turkey en route to Syria in 2012. Two years later, he has been released into the hands of a United Nations representative.

White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Curtis was now safely outside Syria. A senior administration official said he 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.

Theo Curtis was believed to be held by the terrorist group Al Nusra, which was until a few months ago indistinguishable from the Islamic State.

He was held with another journalist, Matthew Schrier, who escaped from captivity.

It was not immediately clear what led to the release of Theo Curtis, but multiple reports point to a diplomatic intervention by Qatar, a state which has influence over various Sunni Islamic groups across the Middle East.

The release follows the execution of fellow U.S. journalist James Foley by the Islamic State, which is believed to be holding three other Americans.

CCTV America’s Nathan King reports.

Report compiled with information from The Associated Press.