President Trump announced Monday that an American who was taken hostage in Yemen in September 2017 has been freed.
“It is my honor today to announce that Danny Burch, a United States citizen who has been held hostage in Yemen for 18 months, has been recovered and reunited with his wife and children,” Trump said in a tweet while on his way to Vietnam for his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
It is my honor today to announce that Danny Burch, a United States citizen who has been held hostage in Yemen for 18 months, has been recovered and reunited with his wife and children. I appreciate the support of the United Arab Emirates in bringing Danny home…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2019
…Danny’s recovery reflects the best of what the United States & its partners can accomplish.
We work every day to bring Americans home. We maintain constant and intensive diplomatic, intelligence, and law enforcement cooperation within the United States Government and with…— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2019
…our foreign partners. Recovering American hostages is a priority of my Admin, and with Danny’s release, we have now secured freedom for 20 American captives since my election victory. We will not rest as we continue our work to bring the remaining American hostages back home!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2019
Trump said the United Arab Emirates played a role in Burch’s release.
Burch, who worked for Yemeni Safer oil and was married to a Yemeni citizen, was abducted by Houthis after taking his children to school.
Reuters reported in January 2018 that the Houthis had released Burch and sent him to Oman on a flight that also carried Mohammed Abdel-Salam, a top leader of the Iran-allied group.
Burch had worked in the oil industry in Yemen since 1994. He traveled between the U.S. and Yemen until he moved to Arabian Peninsula in 2005. He converted to Islam and married Nadia Forsa, with whom he has three children, the New York Times reported in 2017.
