Yemen Houthis Free Two U.S. Citizens, One Briton: Report

Yemen Houthis Free Two U.S. Citizens, One Briton: Report

WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Two U.S. citizens held in Yemen have been freed and have arrived in Oman, the White House said on Sunday, following reports Yemen's Houthi group had released three Westerners it held for months, including two from the United States and one from Britain.

Their release was arranged with the help of Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, a spokesman for the National Security Council said in a statement, which also urged immediate resumption of peace talks aimed at ending fighting in Yemen.

The two freed U.S. citizens are Scott Darden, 45, an employee of a Louisiana-based logistics company, and Sam Farran, 54, a security consultant from Michigan, according to the Washington Post. It also reported that a third American, a 35-year-old convert to Islam, was still being held for reasons that were unclear.

The three freed men were flown to Muscat, Oman's capital.

Darden had been helping oversee the transport of humanitarian supplies in Yemen for New Orleans-based Transoceanic Development, which confirmed his release.

Darden's wife Diana Loesch posted on Facebook: "It's official my husband has finally been freed and Yemen and he's on his way to Muscat!!!"

Darden's mother, Pat Darden of Atlanta, referred questions to a family spokesman, but said: ""We have grateful hearts," she said, adding that today is her birthday.

"It was a great birthday gift," she said. (Reporting by Eric Walsh; Additional reporting by Katy Reilly in New York; Editing by Andrew Roche)

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