U.S. says American held in Yemen released

The U.S. State Department said on Monday that an American citizen recently held in Yemen has been released.

Casey Coombs has arrived safely in Muscat, Oman, and he was "in stable condition," State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said.

"We are grateful to the government of Oman and personally to Sultan Qaboos (al Said) for assisting with the safe passage of a U. S. citizen to Oman, and deeply appreciate His Majesty's friendship to our country," Harf told a regular briefing.

The spokesperson added that the United States was aware that several other U.S. citizens were still detained in Yemen, but declined to give the specific number.

Coombs, a freelance journalist who wrote for The Intercept among other publications, was one of four U.S. citizens who were recently taken prisoner by Houthi rebels, The Washington Post reported on Monday.

The newspaper quoted U.S. officials as saying that three of the prisoners, including Coombs, had worked in private-sector jobs and that a fourth, whose occupation is unknown, has dual U.S.-Yemeni citizenship.

The officials also told the newspaper that none of the four were employees of the U.S. government. Endite