WASHINGTON (AP) — An American journalist kidnapped and held hostage for nearly two years by an al-Qaida-linked group in Syria was released Sunday, less than a week after the horrific execution of American journalist James Foley by Islamic militants.

The freed American is 45-year-old Peter Theo Curtis of Massachusetts, who wrote under the byline Theo Padnos.

Secretary of State John Kerry said Curtis was held by Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as the Nusra Front, an al-Qaida-linked militant group fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. His freedom was facilitated by the energy-rich Gulf nation of Qatar, which is a leading supporter of the Syrian rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad and has been involved in mediating past hostage releases.

Curtis was not believed to be among the hostages held by the Islamic State group that executed Foley. Islamic State was formally disavowed by al-Qaida earlier this year after being deemed too brutal. Curtis' relatives said they were not aware of the specific terms of his release but said they were assured by Qatari representatives that they negotiated Curtis' release without a ransom payment.

President Barack Obama, who was wrapping up a vacation in Massachusetts, was briefed Sunday morning on Curtis' release.

"The president shares in the joy and relief that we all feel now that Theo is out of Syria and safe," said White House spokesman Eric Schultz. "But we continue to hold in our thoughts and prayers the Americans who remain in captivity in Syria, and we will continue to use all of the tools at our disposal to see that the remaining American hostages are freed."

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In this image made from undated video obtained by The Associated Press, which has been authenticated …

A senior administration official said Curtis was released in the Golan Heights, where he was met by U.S. government personnel who were transporting him to Tel Aviv. The official was not authorized to speak by name and discussed the release on the condition of anonymity.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry confirmed late Sunday that the Gulf emirate succeeded in gaining Curtis' release. A government statement released by the official Qatar News Agency said he was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 and said Qatar "exerted relentless efforts to release the American journalist out of Qatar's belief in the principles of humanity and out of concern for the lives of individuals and their right to freedom and dignity." The agency said Curtis was handed over to United Nations representatives.

In a video obtained by The Associated Press and dated July 18, 2014, Curtis sits cross-legged on a floor with his hands bound, and appears to read from a sheet placed in front of him on the floor. Addressing the U.S. and European governments, he pleads for them to contact a named intermediary before it is too late.

"They have given me three days to live," he says as a man holding an assault rifle and dressed in camouflage stands next to him. "If you don't do anything, I'm finished. I'm dead. They will kill me. Three days. You have had 20 days, and you've done nothing. "

He does not specify any demands, only urges Western governments to make contact with the intermediary.

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This undated image provided by the Curtis Family shows Theo Curtis, a freelance reporter who wrote u …

Qatar, whose intervention in Curtis' case may have been expedited by Foley's execution, has come under renewed scrutiny over ties to militants, including the Palestinian Hamas and Syrian rebel groups. A German official last week suggested that Qatar may also play a role in funding the Islamic State group.

In March, the Qataris helped negotiate the release of more than a dozen Greek Orthodox nuns held by the Nusra Front. Late last year, Qatar also helped broker a deal that saw nine Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria by rebels go free in exchange for the release of two Turkish pilots held hostage in Lebanon.

His family said they believe Curtis was captured in October 2012, shortly after crossing into Syria.

"My heart is full at the extraordinary, dedicated, incredible people, too many to name individually, who have become my friends and have tirelessly helped us over these many months," Curtis' mother, Nancy Curtis, said in a statement from the family. "Please know that we will be eternally grateful."

Curtis, under the Theo Padnos byline, has written for the New Republic and in 2011 wrote a book called "Undercover Muslim: A Journey Into Yemen," which studied the radicalization of disaffected youths.

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This undated image provided by the Curtis Family shows Theo Curtis, a freelance reporter who wrote u …

Before leaving for Yemen in 2005 to study Islam, he worked in the Vermont prison system teaching teenage inmates. That experience resulted in the book "My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun."

In a statement, Kerry, a former senator from Massachusetts, noted that Curtis' release came "after a week marked by unspeakable tragedy."

"Theo's mother, whom we've known from Massachusetts and with whom we've worked during this horrific period, simply refused to give up and has worked indefatigably to keep hope alive that this day could be a reality," Kerry said.

He added that over the past two years, Washington had "reached out to more than two dozen countries asking for urgent help from anyone who might have tools, influence or leverage to help secure Theo's release and the release of any Americans held hostage in Syria."

Curtis' release was first reported by Al Jazeera.

In another video from June 30, 2014, a man with a beard and disheveled hair identifies himself as Peter Theo Curtis from Boston, and says he is being treated well.

"I have everything I need. Everything has been perfect — food, clothing, even friends now," he says. He appears to be reading from a script.

Foley was beheaded by Islamic State militants who released a video last week blaming his death on U.S. airstrikes against their fighters in Iraq. Foley's captors had demanded $132.5 million (100 million euros) from his parents and political concessions from Washington. Neither obliged, authorities say.

For al-Qaida and some other militant bands, ransoms paid to free kidnapped Europeans over the past decade have surpassed donations from private supporters as a source of funding, according to the United States and Britain.

The British government, like the U.S., adheres to a longstanding policy against paying ransoms to extremists. A senior Obama administration official said last week the Islamic State had made a "range of requests" from the U.S. for Foley's release, including changes in American policy and posture in the Mideast.

At a memorial service held Sunday in Rochester, New Hampshire, Roman Catholic Bishop Peter Libasci praised Foley for returning to dangerous parts of the world. "Jim went back again that we might open our eyes," Libasci said.

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Lucas reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Martha's Vineyard and Abdullah Rebhy in Doha, Qatar, contributed to this report.

U.S. journalist freed after nearly two years in Syria

Peter Theo Curtis was held by an al-Qaida-linked militant group, Secretary of State John Kerry says.
'We are deeply relieved'

Rochester (United States) (AFP) - The family of murdered US journalist James Foley prayed for the safety of his fellow hostages as hundreds gathered for a mass to celebrate his life as a witness on the front line.

Foley was kidnapped in late 2012 in northern Syria by the jihadist group that now dubs itself the Islamic State and which this week released a video showing him being beheaded.

The footage ended any remaining hopes that the 40-year-old freelancer, who contributed to the GlobalPost, Agence France-Presse and other outlets, would be released alive after his ordeal.

But his parents said the death should serve as a challenge to others to match the courage and humanity Foley had shown reporting on the fate of beleaguered civilian populations in Libya and Syria.

As the mass was under way at the church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Rochester, New Hampshire overseen by the Bishop of Manchester Peter Libasci -- who read a message from Pope Francis -- another American reporter was released.

Peter Theo Curtis, 45, was released after two years held by a different Syrian group, but other hostages remain in the country, including Foley's former cellmate Steven Sotloff, who was threatened with death in the video released last week.

- 'Jim stood for love, hope' -

"Jim stood for love and hope," his mother Diane told AFP in the family home as James' four surviving siblings and their partners and children gathered before the "healing mass."

"I want to celebrate a life of bearing witness," she said.

"So many people are suffering in the Middle East right now, and there are many hostages being held captive, so this is a mass for all of those who are hoping for peace, and also in Jim's memory."

Diane's husband John said: "We pray for the surviving hostages and in particular Steven Sotloff. We're just hopeful that something can be done to avoid Jim's end."

The couple were given a prolonged standing ovation by several hundred well-wishers after the service, many clearly moved by their dignified response after the cruel end to a long ordeal.

"His brutal death might be an awakening for the world," his mother told AFP.

"The community of love needs to unite to protect these fearless journalists going out to these very dangerous places where we need to protect the people suffering in conflict."

Both Bishop Libasci and Foley's parents spoke of how his Catholic faith had been important to him, and that former hostages who spent time with him during his imprisonment said prayer had kept him strong and that he in turn had supported them.

Libasci told AFP that Foley had learned to "live what he believed and to be that voice of hope, be that encouragement, be that man of forgiveness, so he lived his faith as well as prayed it."

Sunday's mass was also attended, at the family's invitation, by Syrian Americans from New Hampshire's Muslim community, which the day before had held a public ceremony to thank Foley for his sacrifice in telling their country's story.

John and Diane Foley said they would set up a charitable foundation in James' name to support protection for freelance journalists in the field, and that his alma mater Marquette University plans to launch a James Foley scholarship.

They recalled that, alongside his journalism, Foley had raised funds for an ambulance for Syrian civilians and for the family of his colleague South African photo journalist Anton Hammerl, who was killed in Libya.

Diane Foley revealed that the Foley family had been distressed when James, who had himself been held for several weeks in Libya after seeing Hammerl shot, decided to go back to first Libya then to Syria.

She recalled in late 2012, before his last departure, pleading with him to "at least stay until Christmas."

"He said, 'Oh, Ma, I'll be be back for Christmas, but I've got to go.' He felt he had work to do," she said.

Sotloff, a 31-year-old freelance reporter from Miami who had written for Time, Foreign Policy and other news magazines, was still alive when Foley's execution video was shot.

US strikes against the Islamic State have continued, however, and world intelligence agencies are attempting to identify the militant who killed Foley -- who spoke in English with a London accent -- and other members of the gang.

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Michael Brown's Father Calls for Calm, Peace

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Since Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer, protesters have taken to the streets of a St. Louis suburb night after night, calling for change and drawing national attention to issues surrounding race and policing.

Monday will be a day for his family and community to finally focus on mourning the 18-year-old who had been eager to start college, as he is laid to rest at a public funeral at a St. Louis church.

His father, Michael Brown Sr., has asked protesters to take a break Monday and observe a "day of silence" so the family can grieve.

"Tomorrow all I want is peace," he told hundreds of people in St. Louis' largest city park Sunday during brief remarks at a festival that promotes peace over violence. "That's all I ask."

Brown, who is black, was unarmed when he was shot Aug. 9 by Officer Darren Wilson, who is white. A grand jury is considering evidence in the case and a federal investigation is also underway.

Police have said a scuffle broke out after Wilson asked Brown and a friend he was walking down the street with to move. Police said Wilson was pushed into his squad car and physically assaulted. Some witnesses have reported seeing Brown's arms in the air — an act of surrender. An autopsy found Brown was shot at least six times.

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People stand in prayer after marching about a mile to the police station to protest the shooting of …

Family members denounced a video police released of an alleged theft by Brown that authorities say shows him snatching some cigars in a convenience store just before he was killed. In the video, the person said to be Brown is shown grabbing a clerk by the shirt and forcefully pushing him into a display rack.

Family and friends say Brown was an aspiring rapper with a gentle, joking manner who dubbed himself "Big Mike." He was good at fixing things, liked computer games, Lil Wayne, Drake, the movie "Grown Ups 2," and the TV show "Family Guy."

Brown's great uncle, pastor Charles Ewing, will deliver the eulogy at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church, and the Rev. Al Sharpton is also expected to speak.

"We don't want anything tomorrow to happen that might defile the name of Michael Brown," Sharpton said as he stood next to Brown's father on Sunday. "This is not about our rage tomorrow. It's about the legacy and memory of his son."

President Barack Obama is sending three White House aides, and Gov. Jay Nixon said he will attend.

Monday will also mark the first day back at school for students in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. Classes were scheduled to begin Aug. 14 but postponed due to safety concerns.

School personnel have received training in how to deal with students who may be experiencing stress related to the shooting and its aftermath.

Slain teen’s dad asks for 'day of silence'

Michael Brown Sr. tells a crowd in St. Louis that all he wants is peace when he lays his son to rest.
Al Sharpton's request