There's good news tonight...kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston was suddenly freed in Gaza today after being in captivity for almost four months.
Speaking from the home of Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh, Johnston, looking pale and tired, said it was ``fantastic'' to be free after an ``appalling'' ordeal.
"It is indescribably good to be out," he said . "It is just the most fantastic thing to be free," he added, saying he felt as well as could be expected.
"I didn't know where it was going to end," he said, adding that he had endured "an extraordinary level of stress" and psychological pressure.
Damascus-based Hamas Kingpin Khaled Meshaal was quick to take credit, saying that the freeing of BBC journalist Alan Johnston showed Hamas had brought order to the Gaza Strip by seizing power from Fatah.
"We have been able to close this chapter which has harmed the image of our people greatly. The efforts by Hamas have produced the freedom of Alan Johnston," Meshaal said by telephone from Syria.
Johnston, like most reporters with the Beeb was known for being an advocate for the Palestinians..indeed, as I've written here before, unless a reporter plugs the Palestinian line, he loses all access and is summararily booted out.
JoshuaPundit extends it's hearty congratulations to Mr. Johnston and his family on his safe return. Now that he's safely out of the region, it will be interesting to see whether his expriences colored his perceptions at all and changed his views.
It will be even more interesting to check my sources and see what I can find out about what the price for his release was.
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