A retired British couple kidnapped for 13 months by Somali pirates was released on Sunday. Paul and Rachel Chandler were sailing on a yacht when they were kidnapped by pirates off the Seychelles.
“We are happy to be alive, happy to be here, desperate to see our family. … We’ve been a year with criminals and that’s not a very nice thing to be doing,” Rachel Chandler said at a press conference in the Somali city of Mogadishu, according to the Associated Press.
Despite being skinny, the couple says they are fine. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron described the release in a statement as “tremendous news,” and said he “unreservedly condemn(s)” the kidnapping. There has been no official statement on whether a ransom was paid and how much. According to the BBC, a payment estimated to be worth $1 million had been made to secure the couple’s release.
“We are happy to be alive, happy to be here, desperate to see our family. … We’ve been a year with criminals and that’s not a very nice thing to be doing,” Rachel Chandler said at a press conference in the Somali city of Mogadishu, according to the Associated Press.
Despite being skinny, the couple says they are fine. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron described the release in a statement as “tremendous news,” and said he “unreservedly condemn(s)” the kidnapping. There has been no official statement on whether a ransom was paid and how much. According to the BBC, a payment estimated to be worth $1 million had been made to secure the couple’s release.
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