The White House released a statement from National Security Advisor Susan Rise on Curtis's release:
(snip)
For two years, we have kept Peter Theo Curtis, a U.S. citizen held hostage in Syria, in our thoughts and prayers. Today, we join his family and loved ones in welcoming his freedom. Theo is now safe outside of Syria, and we expect he will be reunited with his family shortly.
Just as we celebrate Theo’s freedom, we hold in our thoughts and prayers the Americans who remain in captivity in Syria. Notwithstanding today’s welcome news, the events of the past week shocked the conscience of the world. As President Obama said, we have and will continue to use all of the tools at our disposal to see that the remaining American hostages are freed.
Today, the American people share in the joy and relief that Theo's family feels, and we look forward to his safe return home. We will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of all Americans who are held overseas so that they can be reunited with their families as well.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/peter-theo-curtis-released-syria-nusra-front
= new reply since forum marked as read
EDITED: Updated News:
Here's the WaPo article on his release. Apparently Qatar has been negotiating for prisoner releases and they managed to secure his release. Here's a snip...but, the rest is interesting read... Apparently Al Nusra is easier to work with than ISIL.
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U.S. hostage Peter Theo Curtis freed in Syria
The United States had reached out to more than two dozen countries seeking help to secure Curtis’s release, in close coordination with his mother, who lives in Massachusetts, Kerry said. Details of the kidnapping had been kept under wraps at the request of the family in order to facilitate negotiations.
The Qatar-based Al Jazeera television network, which first reported the release, said Qatar had played a key role in the negotiations. It did not give details, but Qatar has been central to a number of hostage releases in Syria in recent months.
In one release negotiated by Qatar last year, Lebanese captives in rebel custody were exchanged for prisoners held by the Syrian government. Earlier this year, a group of Syrian nuns held by Jabhat al-Nusra also were released in return for prisoners held by the government.
Qatar also has played a part in negotiations for the release of Westerners captured by Syrian rebels, in some instances involving ransoms, according to a Lebanese security official who was also involved in the negotiations.
U.S. officials declined to discuss details of the negotiations for the release of Curtis, who had written on Syria and Yemen under the name Theo Padnos. He was last seen in October 2012 in the Turkish border town of Antakya, after telling colleagues he planned to teach English in Syria despite the war raging at the time.
Colleagues said that he was held for much of the time after his captivity with Matthew Schrier, who escaped last year from his cell in the rebel-held portion of Aleppo and told the story of his abduction and release to the New York Times.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-hostage-peter-theo-curtis-freed-in-syria/2014/08/24/aaa0d07d-37ac-407a-8753-23574383b4cf_story.html
