Yemen: Houthi rebels release US freelance journalist Casey Coombs

American freelance journalist Casey Coombs, held by Shiite Muslim rebels in Yemen since May, was freed, US officials announced on 1 June.

Coombs was one of at least four Americans allegedly being held by the insurgents known as Houthis, the Los Angeles Times reported.

His release became public as a video surfaced of a French woman being held separately in Yemen begged for her release. Isabelle Prime, a World Bank-funded project consultant, was kidnapped in February along with her translator in the capital Sanaa.

In her video, Prime pleaded with French President François Hollande and Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to help her. "Please bring me to France fast because I am really, really tired," she said.

According to the US State Department, Coombs has since arrived in the Persian Gulf state of Oman. The agency's spokeswoman Marie Harf told Washington reporters that Coombs was in "stable" condition, but did not elaborate. The BBC reported that Coombs was met by the US ambassador in Oman.

Coombs, a reporter for the news website the Intercept, was kidnapped in Yemen several weeks ago, according to the BBC. In April, he wrote about the difficulty he faced as he attempted to leave Yemen.

"Like the hundreds — and possibly thousands — of other American citizens stuck in Yemen, I've been trying to leave since the Saudi-led air campaign started last month, compounding an already chaotic situation that resulted from the collapse of Yemen's government in January," Coombs wrote.

'I'm overjoyed... it's been a long and horrible ride'

The 33-year-old's mother, Jill Hammill, told The Washington Post that she was happy with her son's release. "I'm just overjoyed that this happened the way it has," Hammill said. "It's been a long and horrible ride, and this is a great outcome."

Hammer said that her son appeared unharmed while in the rebel's custody but he was released after he was seen behaving erratically in the prison where he was held.

According to the Washington Post, Coombs is expected to be taken to a US base overseas for a medical evaluation before returning to the US. The status of the three other Americans held by the Yemeni rebels in unknown.

Houthi rebels overthrew the US-supported Yemeni government in January and are now in control of most branches of government in the country, the Washington Post reported. Saudi Arabia has since started an air campaign to drive the Houthis from Yemen.