Journalist released after being held for more than two years in Somalia

The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release of German-American journalist Michael Scott Moore, who was kidnapped by Somali pirates in the city of Galkayo in January 2012. Moore’s abduction was not previously reported by most media outlets at the request of those seeking his release.

The German magazine Spiegel Online reported that a crisis team from the German Foreign Ministry worked with U.S. officials to secure Moore’s release. The journalist arrived in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, today and was taken for a health checkup, according to news reports.

An Associated Press reportciting Bile Hussein, a pirate commander in the Somali town of Hobyo, said that some of Moore’s abductors “reached a deal with negotiators after ransom was paid.”

The German Foreign Ministry did not immediately disclose any details on whether a ransom was paid.