Somali Pirates Release British Hostage Judith Tebbutt

Somali pirates have freed British hostage Judith Tebbutt who was kidnapped in neighbouring Kenya in September.

Tebbutt, 56, was flown to Nairobi in Kenya after a ransom was paid by her relatives.

As she left Adado in Somalia, the BBC reported that Tebbutt, from Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, smiled and told reporters she was glad to be safe.

Her release was confirmed by Omar Mohammed Diirey, a regional administration official in Adado.

"After efforts today, we have succeeded in the release of the British woman," Diirey told Reuters.

Tebbutt was captured by pirates on 11 September last year from Kiwayu Safari Village, a luxury resort on the Kenyan coastline north of the city of Lamu.

Her husband David, 58, was killed during the attack.

Two men have appeared in court in connection with the attack but have denied the charges.

The Somalia government had said the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab group was behind the murder and kidnapping. The group has denied the claim.

The attack on the Kiwayu resort preceded a number of abductions by gunmen. A disabled French woman tourist, Marie Didieu, was snatched from another beach in northern Kenya. She died in captivity.

Two Spanish aid workers from a refugee camp in the east African country were also seized.