Journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan were released Wednesday, reported numerous sources, more than one year after they were kidnapped near Mogadishu in August 2008. Lindhout told CTV news that she was beaten and tortured by criminals whose motive was money, and that the pair was released after their families paid ransom. Lindhout, a Canadian reporter, and Brennan, an Australian photo-journalist, were both freelancers.

A website for Lindhout, which contains background, is here.