Kidnapped Australian doctor Ken Elliot was released after seven years. Here’s what we know

Key points
  • Dr. Kenneth Elliott was kidnapped in 2016.
  • He was released and returned home to Perth with his family.
  • Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham praised officials for his release.
An Australian doctor has been released after being held captive in West Africa for more than seven years.
Kenneth Elliott, 88, from Perth, is alive and well and reunited with his wife Jocelyn and their children, Foreign Secretary Penny Wong said on Friday.
“We want to express our gratitude to God and to everyone who continues to pray for us,” Dr. Elliott’s family said in a statement released by the ministry.
“We express our relief that Dr. Elliott is free and thank the Australian Government and all those who have been involved in his release for a long time.
“At 88, after many years away from home, Dr. Elliott now needs time and privacy to rest and recuperate.

“We thank you for your understanding and sympathy.”

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham welcomed the news, saying officials should be given credit for achieving the breakthrough.
“This is a good day for many people, but an especially good day for Dr. Ken Elliot and his family and loved ones,” he told Sky News.
Senator Birmingham said maintaining lines of communication with terrorists and adding a pandemic would make things more difficult over the years.
“Fortunately, he’s safe now.

“This is the merit of many, many years of work by people who have sought to establish the type of dialogue and communication in order to be able to provide this result.”

Dr. Elliot and his wife were abducted by terrorists in January 2016 near the border with Mali and Niger, where they had a medical clinic.

Jocelyn Elliott was later released.