Kidnapped Scottish journalist freed in Somalia

Former Scotsman journalist, Colin Freeman was released unharmed early this year along with Spanish photographer Jose Cendon by their Somalian captors.

The two men were held captive in the volatile mountainous region north-west of Boosasso where journalists are frequently taken hostage for ransom. The men were missing without a trace for five days until Mr Freeman was allowed to call his news desk.

The freelance pair had been researching a story on piracy in the Gulf of Aden for The Sunday Telegraph when, on 26 November, they were kidnapped by their own bodyguards as they left the hotel in Boosasso and travelled to the airport.

Following his release on 4 January, the British journalist described the moment of terror when he and his Spanish colleague first realised they were being taken hostage.

“The pickup truck carrying our armed escort of eight Kalashnikov-toting gunmen suddenly pulled ahead of us, one of them cocking his weapon and flashing a vicious snarl in the direction of the driver of our own car.

“For a fleeting second I thought they were just having a bad-tempered argument over which road to take: in wild, lawless Somalia, the people you hire to protect you are often only just on the side of the angels, as volatile and scary as anybody else.

“Then, as his companions leapt out of the pickup and surrounded us, forcing open the doors of our car and pointing their guns in our faces, came the awful realisation that this time, we'd backed the wrong side altogether."

Freeman, 39, worked as a foreign correspondent at the Scotsman from 2003 to 2005 and is now chief foreign correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph. The experienced journalist is no stranger to danger as in 2004 he was shot by members of the al-Mahdi army militia after being accused of working as a British spy.

He feared the worst after remembering the horror stories of other freelance opportunist abductions.

“Grim memories of the half-dozen colleagues who were abducted in Iraq danced into my head. While all had been eventually released, some had been held for months, their haunted, terrified faces paraded on terrorist video nasties released on the internet.”

According to an official in the northern province of Puntland, it was due to the efforts of local elders that their 40-day ordeal has come to an end.

A spokesman for the Telegraph Media Group said: "This is wonderful news and we are delighted that the two journalists will soon be reunited with their families, friends and colleagues.

"On behalf of their families, we would like to thank all those involved in assisting in the release, including the authorities in Puntland."

Freeman described his elation at his lucky escape: "We're absolutely fine and delighted to be out… we are now safe. I am only tired and I am very eager to see my family."

”I gave up smoking in 1992 and somehow decided now would be a good time to start up again."