CA Man Released In Colombia

Leftist guerillas in Colombia have freed an American hostage who was abducted last month. He is reported to be a backpacker from California, Glenn Hereggestard. His hometown and age were not immediately known.

It´s reported guerrillas of the National Liberation Army turned over the Californian to the Red Cross on Friday.

Word that Hereggestard had been freed came from a diplomat in Colombia, who told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

A U.S. Embassy official in Bogota confirmed that an American abducted by the guerilla group had been released. But the freed hostage was not identified by US officials. The official said the hostage required no hospital treatment following his release. It wasn´t immediately clear if ransom had been paid. Leftist guerrillas are responsible for most of the approximately three-thousand people kidnapped each year in Colombia, often seeking ransom to fund their activities.