Released Finnish hostages in Yemen return home

Source : Globaltimes.cn

The Finnish couple who were held hostage in Yemen for 140 days returned home late Friday, Finnish media reported.

The couple and their Austrian friend, who had studied Arabic language in a school in Sanaa, were kidnapped by al-Qaida militants from a busy street in the Yemeni capital on Dec. 21, 2012.

The three persons received medical examinations in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday and were in good condition, according to Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE.

A statement made by the Finnish married couple, Atte and Leila Kaleva, said "It's good to be back in Finland. We were treated well during the time we were held. The food and water were good and we received medicine as needed."

A senior Yemeni official who asked not to be named told Xinhua earlier the couple and the Austrian man, 26-year-old Dominik Neubauer, were released Wednesday night through mediation of the Omani government and the Yemeni tribe.

The official also said "a large amount of ransom, about millions of US dollars, has been paid to the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in return of releasing the hostages."

Denying any payment, Teemu Turunen, an official with the foreign ministry has said "the most important thing is that Finland has paid nothing."