British hostage being held in Libya released by Army of Islam

A British teacher held hostage by militants in Libya has been released and reunited with his family, the Foreign Office has confirmed. David Bolam, who worked at the International School in Benghazi, was abducted earlier this year. His kidnapping had not been reported at the request of his family and the Foreign Office. Although it has not been officially confirmed who his captors were, a group calling themselves the Army of Islam, a faction in Libya, released an online video of Mr Bolam dated 28 August pleading for his release.

We are glad that David Bolam is safe and well after his ordeal, and that he has been reunited with his family.

Foreign Office statement

The 53-second video showed him sitting in a room wearing a white T-shirt. In it, he said: “My name is David Richard Bolam. I am a British citizen. I am a teacher. My health is good at the moment. I have been here a very long time.” He went on to plead for Britain to arrange a prisoner exchange or other diplomatic initiative to secure his release. The Foreign Office said in a statement: “We have been supporting his family since he was taken. We do not comment on the detail of hostage cases. The family have asked for privacy.” There are unconfirmed reports a ransom was paid through “unofficial channels” in exchange for Mr Bolam’s release but the government has denied this.

HMG never pays ransoms. It is illegal to pay ransoms to a terrorist group.

Foreign Office statement