A British couple released after being kidnapped by Somali pirates said today they would be heading home to the United Kingdom “very soon”, after spending more than a year in captivity.
But Paul and Rachel Chandler said they had only just learned of the death of Mr Chandler’s father and needed time to come to terms with that.
The couple, who were taken to safety yesterday morning after a 388-day ordeal, released a statement through the Foreign Office.
It said: “We thank you all for your concern and interest. “We have just learned that Paul’s father died in late July, and we obviously need to come to terms with that. We will return to the UK very soon.
“We do not intend to give any press interviews or make any further statements until we have had time to adjust to the situation and we would appreciate it if you would give us and our families some space, and respect our privacy for the moment.”
The pair, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, revealed they were beaten by their captors after they refused to be separated.
They were seen waving and holding hands as they finally left Somalia for Kenya, where they were taken to the British High Commission to prepare for a flight back to the UK.
“We were told on Friday [of our release] and in a way which gave us some confidence to believe it,” Mr Chandler told BBC News. “We’d been told we were going to be released in 10 days almost every 10 days for nine months.”
Describing his emotions, he said: “It was hard to have any feelings really — almost disbelief. It was too good to be true.”
Mrs Chandler (56) simply said: “Happy to be alive,” while her husband told Channel 4: “I love my wife, I love my life, and inshallah [God willing], I will be free.”
The two were handed over to local officials in the Somali town of Adado after a ransom of up to a £620,000 was reportedly paid to their kidnappers. They were then flown to the capital Mogadishu and on to Nairobi, Kenya.
Reports suggested the ransom money came from a mixture of private investors and the Somali government, although the family refused to comment on how the couple’s freedom was secured, saying only that common sense had “finally prevailed”.
Relatives also thanked those in the Somali community who “did so much to help secure their release”.
PA