Somali pirates have released a Southern California travel and surf journalist after he was held captive for almost three years, reported the Los Angeles Times.
Michael Scott Moore, who grew up in Redondo Beach and wrote about surf culture, was released on Tuesday according to the German General Consulate in Los Angeles.
“I’m not healthy but I am safe. It’s an astonishing story, but right now I have to recover my wits and spend time with family and friends,” he told the German magazine Der Spiegel, for which Moore had written. “I hope journalists will respect that,” he added.
Moore’s stepfather, Lou Saunders, told ABC7, “He said he was OK. He had a little skin rash and other than that, I don’t think he has any serious medical issues.”
While being sponsored by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Moore was researching a book on piracy when he was kidnapped on Jan. 21, 2012 in the town of Galkayo.
Moore who holds duel U.S. and German citizenships, according to ABC, was released after a 1.6 million dollar ransom was paid.
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