Forces from the United Arab Emirates have
rescued a British hostage held for more than 18 months by Al-Qaeda in
Yemen, authorities in Abu Dhabi and London said on Sunday.
Robert Douglas Semple, a 64-year-old oil
worker, had been kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in February 2014 while working in Yemen’s Hadramawt province, a stronghold of the jihadist group, a
statement carried by the UAE’s official WAM news agency said.
It said that UAE forces freed Semple in a
military operation on Saturday and took him to Yemen’s main southern
city of Aden, from where he was flown to Abu Dhabi overnight.
Emirati forces are among troops taking part in a Saudi-led campaign supporting Yemen’s government against Iran-backed rebels.
The statement provided no details about the operation or where Semple had been held.
The Foreign Office in London confirmed
that a British hostage in Yemen had been freed by UAE forces but did not
identify him and also provided no further details.
“I’m pleased to confirm that a British
hostage held in Yemen has been extracted by UAE forces in a military
intelligence operation,” Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said in a
statement released while he was in Tehran to reopen the British embassy.
Hammond said the freed hostage was “safe and well” and that Britain was “very grateful for the assistance of the UAE”.
The statement carried by WAM said Semple had been met at the airport in Abu Dhabi by UAE officials and the British ambassador.
He was taken to hospital for health
checks and spoke to his wife by telephone, it said. He was to leave for
Britain following the medical checks.
WAM said Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh
Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan had telephoned British Prime Minister David
Cameron on Saturday night to inform him of the operation.
Cameron later Tweeted: “I’m so pleased
for the family of the British hostage in Yemen — who has been released
safe and well. Thanks to the UAE for their help.”
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