Somali pirates free Iranian hostage 4-yrs after

Relief has come the way of an Iranian identified as Mohammad Shariff Panahandeh after he was released by his captors, four years after being taken captive.

Reports say Panahandeh was immediately flown to Ethiopia’s capital on Saturday after his Somali captors released him because he needed urgent medical care, four years after he was captured with three other men in March 2015 following an attack on the Iranian fishing vessel FV Siraj.

His health had deteriorated significantly in recent weeks, lending new urgency to efforts to secure his freedom, John Steed of the Hostage Support Partnership said.

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“He’s severely malnourished. He lost a huge amount of weight. It reminded me of someone who’s just been released from Belsen [a Nazi] concentration camp,” Steed said.

Panahandeh release from captivity means just three hostages remain in the custody of Somali pirates, according to the Hostage Support Partnership, the charity that negotiated his release.

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