LONDON: A British man who had been held hostage by militants in Libya has been released, the British Foreign Office said on Sunday

The Foreign Office gave no further details of who had held Bolam or how he had been released.

“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.”

British media reported he had been taken hostage in May and had in August featured in a video posted online in which he pleaded for his life.

The BBC reported that his release was secured through the payment of a ransom, facilitated by local political factions in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, where he worked as a teacher.