Adam Whittington, a dual British-Australian former soldier, has been released from a Lebanese jail after being granted bail on kidnapping charges related to a botched child recovery operation filmed by Australia's 60 Minutes programme. He was freed on Wednesday local time.
Whittington and two colleagues were charged with kidnapping after Brisbane mother Sally Faulkner's two children, Lahela, five, and Noah, three, were taken from a Beirut street in April. The operation was being filmed by a Nine Network 60 Minutes crew.
In a statement, Whittington said: 'For two days now I have been free but I am not home with my family... the most important thing is to get home with my family.' He thanked his legal team and the British and Australian embassies for their assistance, expressing confidence that 'justice will prevail'.
Whittington's wife Karin said she was relieved, writing on Facebook: 'It still feels so unreal he will be home with us soon. Maybe I will give him house arrest for the rest of his life!' She thanked supporters in Australia who maintained public interest in his case.
Whittington's father David said his son lost a third of his body weight during 100 days in jail. He is expected to fly to Sweden to be reunited with his family before returning to Australia.
