Mom of hostage released in Yemen: He’s OK

Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY

The mother of an American hostage released by Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen says her son suffered a back injury and is still in shock but that he’s doing well considering the ordeal.

Freelance journalist Casey Coombs, 33, is stable in a hospital in Oman and is expected to return to Seattle in the coming days, said his mother, Jill Hammill. She found out Sunday that her son was freed after being taken by rebels May 17.

She’s shocked and overjoyed, Hammill said.

“It was a miracle,” she said by phone from her home in Seattle. “We didn’t know if we would see him again.”

Coombs was one of several Americans being held by Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen. He has been freed after mediation by Omani authorities, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said.

The State Department is working to win the release of several Americans detained in Yemen, Harf said.

The Washington Post reported Friday that the Houthis had cleared one of four American prisoners for release. It said three of the four held private-sector jobs, and the fourth holds dual U.S.-Yemeni citizenship.