President Donald Trump said Monday that U.S. citizen Danny Burch has been reunited with his family and praised the United Arab Emirates for its role in "bringing Danny home."
Burch, an oil engineer who grew up in Texas and spent years working in Yemen, was taken hostage in September 2017, according to his family at the time, although Reuters reported in January 2018 that he had been released and taken to Oman.
"Today he is safe and secure, and is reunited with his wife and children," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. "The family has asked for privacy as they recover from this ordeal."
Trump tweeted the news about Burch after he left Washington about 12:30 p.m. EST (1730 GMT) headed for Vietnam where he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a second summit.
© 2024 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.