An Iranian sailor has been released by Somali pirates after spending more than four years in captivity.
Mohammad Sharif Panahandeh was “seriously ill” and has been freed on humanitarian grounds, the Hostage Support Partnership (HSP), which helped negotiate his release, said.
Over the past decade, thousands of crew have been taken hostage off the coast of Somalia and released for a ransom.
Mr Sharif’s freedom means pirates are holding just three people captive.
Pirate attacks in the region peaked in 2011 but have declined to negligible levels in recent years, the European Naval Force, which operates in the area, says.
