British Teacher Held Hostage in Libya Freed

British teacher Davild Bolam held hostage by militants in Libya for the past four months has been released, the British Foreign Office said on Sunday.

Bolam , who worked as the vice- principal at the International School at Benghazi, was kidnapped in May.  His release was secured by local political factions and reportedly involved the payment of a ransom.

"We are glad that David Bolam is safe and well after his ordeal, and that he has been reunited with his family," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said. "We have been supporting his family since he was taken," she said, reports Reuters.

The militants who kidnapped Bolam had posted a video in September in which he appealed to Britain to arrange a prisoner exchange or to engage in diplomatic talks to enable his release. The militants also identified themselves as a Libyan faction called the Army of Islam, reports the Associated Press.

Bolam , 53, from Craven Arms , Shropshire, had decided to stay back in Benghazi even though violence escalated in the town. The school's chemistry teacher, Ronnie Smith, was killed in December.

Ged O'Connor Challis, who worked with Bolam at the international school, said that Bolam stayed back in Benghazi because he believed in what he was doing. He also said that Bolam was a bright man and one of the best English teachers he had ever met, reports BBC.

British MP Philip Dunne, whose constituency includes Craven Arms from where Bolam comes, expressed relief on Bolam's release.

"I have been in touch with his wife during his ordeal over recent months and know how relieved she is that he has returned safely home," Dunne said.

"David is a dedicated English teacher who had returned to Benghazi to help rebuild the international school of which he was a director, after he had been evacuated during the Arab Spring," he said, reports BBC.‎